> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.harmonica.chat/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Templates

> Use pre-built templates to create sessions quickly

## Overview

Templates provide pre-configured session setups so you can get started quickly without designing a session from scratch. Each template comes with a predefined objective, context, and conversational guide tailored to a specific use case.

## Browsing templates

When creating a new session, click the **Templates** button on the dashboard to browse available templates. Each template shows:

* **Icon** -- A visual identifier for the template category
* **Name** -- What the template is designed for
* **Description** -- A brief explanation of the use case

## Using a template

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select a template">
    Click on a template to select it. The template's pre-configured fields will be loaded into the session creation form.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review and customize">
    The template pre-fills your session's objective, critical-to-gather information, and context. Review these fields and adjust them to match your specific needs.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Refine the prompt">
    The AI-generated conversational guide will be based on the template's defaults. You can edit and refine it just like any other session.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure and launch">
    Set up your participant questions, then launch and share as usual.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Templates are starting points -- feel free to modify any field to better fit your situation. The template just saves you from starting with a blank form.
</Tip>

<Note>
  Some templates go further than pre-filling the brief: they declare **method-specific creation fields** (replacing the generic goal / critical / context with fields tuned to the method) and their own **participant pre-survey** questions. Both appear automatically when you pick the template. See [Creating sessions](/guides/hosts/creating-sessions#participant-pre-session-form).
</Note>

## Common template types

Harmonica includes templates for a variety of use cases:

* **Product feedback** -- Gather user opinions on features, workflows, or product direction
* **Team retrospectives** -- Reflect on what went well and what to improve
* **Research interviews** -- Conduct structured qualitative research
* **Planning sessions** -- Align a group around goals and next steps
* **Stakeholder input** -- Collect perspectives from diverse stakeholders
* **Workshop facilitation** -- Run guided discussions on specific topics

## Chain templates

Chain templates link multiple sessions together into a workflow, where the output of one step feeds into the next as context. Each step can have its own participant group and, for role-based chains, its own named roles.

See the [Chains guide](/guides/hosts/chains) for a full walkthrough — including role-based participation, context flow, and the Wardley Mapping worked example.

<Note>
  Chain templates appear in their own section on the Templates page. They launch from there, not from the dashboard's session-creation wizard.
</Note>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Creating sessions" icon="plus-circle" href="/guides/hosts/creating-sessions">
    Full guide to session creation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chains" icon="link" href="/guides/hosts/chains">
    Multi-step chain templates in depth
  </Card>

  <Card title="Session results" icon="chart-bar" href="/guides/hosts/session-results">
    Reviewing and exporting results
  </Card>
</CardGroup>