Sample

Flashpoint.AI supports five ways to reach respondents. Each method creates a panel with a unique panel_id, so responses are segmented per source across collection, analysis, and export.

Sampling methods

Method	Respondents	When to use	Typical latency	Cost
Synthetic	AI personas with rich demographic and psychographic profiles	Hypothesis validation, concept testing, survey pre-flight, iterative design	Minutes	Included
Prolific	Real humans recruited from Prolific's opt-in participant pool	Academic research, UX studies, consumer surveys requiring defensible data	24-48 hours	Per completion
Dynata	Real humans recruited from Dynata's first-party panel (220+ countries)	Large-scale market research, B2B studies, niche professional audiences	2-7 days	Per completion
Email list	Real humans you already have contact information for	Customer satisfaction, employee engagement, beta-user feedback	Varies	Included
Public link	Anyone with the link	Social media distribution, website intercepts, open recruitment	Varies	Included

How panel_id works

Every sampling method produces a panel with its own panel_id. This identifier follows the data through the entire pipeline:

Collection — responses are tagged with their panel source on ingestion. Synthetic responses are marked source=synthetic and never consume real-world quotas.
Analysis — slice, filter, or compare results by panel. Ask "show NPS by panel" to see a column per source. Filter to a single panel or exclude one from a view.
Export — the panel source appears as a column in CSV and PDF exports, so downstream consumers always know the provenance of each row.

You can run multiple panels against the same survey. A common pattern is to run a synthetic panel first for fast directional signal, then launch a Prolific or Dynata panel for defensible numbers, and compare the two distributions side by side.

Choosing a method

Start by asking two questions:

Do I need defensible data from real humans? If yes, use Prolific (fast, academic-grade) or Dynata (large scale, B2B, multi-country). If directional signal is enough, start with synthetic.
Do I already have contacts? If yes, use an email list or public link. If you need to recruit from a population you don't have access to, use a panel provider.

For most studies, the fastest path is to iterate with synthetic, then scale with a real panel once the survey is stable. The platform makes it easy to compare panels side by side, so the two approaches complement each other rather than compete.

Synthetic vs. real respondents

Synthetic panels answer in minutes and cost nothing beyond platform access. They are ideal for iteration — draft a survey, run 30 synthetics, spot problems, fix, repeat. Real panels (Prolific, Dynata) take hours to days and charge per completion, but produce data from verified human respondents that meets publication and compliance standards.

The recommended workflow for high-stakes studies:

Iterate with synthetic — validate wording, logic, and routing.
Calibrate with a small real cohort — run 30-50 real respondents alongside a matched synthetic panel.
Compare distributions — see where synthetic tracks real for your audience and where it diverges.
Scale with confidence — launch the full real panel once calibration looks good.

Quick start

The fastest way to see sampling in action:

Create a survey in chat: "Build a 5-question survey on coffee preferences."
Create a synthetic panel: "Create a panel of 20 US coffee drinkers ages 25-45."
Field it: "Have the panel take the survey."
Analyze: "Show me the top takeaways."

All four steps complete in under five minutes. When you are ready for real respondents, swap step 2 for "Quote 100 Prolific respondents, US, ages 25-45" and follow the approval flow.

Sub-pages

Each method has its own detailed page:

Synthetic — AI personas, persona model, the instant-insight loop, and when to use synthetic.
Prolific — targeting filters, the quote-to-launch flow, and API examples.
Dynata — Samplify integration, project-based model, and HMAC-signed redirects.

Surveys — build something for your panel to take.
Distribute — email lists and public links.
Analyze — slice results by panel source.