Pretesting is one of several essential stages in the design of a high-quality discrete-choice experiment (DCE) and involves engaging with representatives of the target population to improve the readability, presentation, and structure of the preference instrument.

There is limited available guidance for pretesting DCEs and few transparent examples of how pretesting is conducted.

Here, we present and apply a guide which prompts researchers to consider aspects of the content, presentation, comprehension, and elicitation when conducting a DCE pretest.

We also present a pretesting interview discussion template to support researchers in operationalizing this guide to their own DCE pretest interviews.