The AI interviewer follows the practice of a senior qualitative researcher. It conducts a semi-structured interview: your topics are the plan, the conversation is natural.
How it conducts an interview#
- It introduces itself as an AI Every interview starts with the assistant presenting itself as an AI assistant working for the client.
- It starts from lived experience Questions such as "Tell me about the last time…", one question at a time, short and open.
- It follows the participant It covers a topic when it comes up naturally, not in a fixed order.
- It digs deeper It asks for a concrete example, the precise moment, what the person did next and why, with up to three follow-ups on a rich point, guided by your follow-up instructions.
- It checks understanding Now and then it rephrases what it heard.
- It shows visuals at the right time When it reaches a topic with a visual, it shows it with your instruction and waits for a spontaneous reaction before referring to details on screen.
- It manages time It aims for your target length, drops optional topics if time runs short and covers every required topic before closing.
- It closes properly It sums up what it understood in one or two sentences, asks whether anything was missed, then thanks the participant.
What it never does#
| Never | Why |
|---|---|
| Ask leading, closed or double-barrelled questions | They bias or flatten answers. |
| State your hypotheses | Participants would confirm them. |
| Read the brand context aloud | It is background for the AI only. |
| Judge the participant or defend the brand | Participants must feel free to criticise. |
| Ask for sensitive data | No health, finances, card numbers or passwords. |
| Promise anything about complaints | It redirects them to customer service. |
| Leave the topic of the study | It brings the conversation back to the guide. |
Voice and written interviews#
The same interviewer runs both modes, with the same instructions, so results are comparable. In voice mode, replies are spoken and the participant's answers are transcribed; in written mode, it is a chat. Participants can switch from voice to writing at any time.
Languages#
The interviewer speaks only the participant's language, French or English, and asks your opening questions in that language. You can write the guide in English or French.
What it records#
During the interview, the AI marks each topic as covered or covered in depth, and logs when it shows a visual. These marks feed the progress bar participants see, the Topic coverage of each interview and the timeline. See Transcripts and interview details.