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

# Quickstart

> Get up and running with Hallway in 5 minutes

Hallway is an AI-powered voice research platform that conducts interviews on your behalf. Create a project, generate an interview guide, and start collecting insights from respondents—all in minutes.

## What You'll Need

Before starting, make sure you have:

* A Hallway account ([sign up here](https://app.hallway.com/sign-up))
* A research topic or question you want to explore
* Respondents to interview (colleagues, stakeholders, team members, etc.)

## Quick Overview

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Project">
    Define your research topic, context, and learning objectives. Tell Hallway what you want to learn.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate Interview Guide">
    Hallway's AI creates a complete interview guide with opening scripts, probing strategies, and closing remarks.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate & Share">
    Activate your project to get a shareable link. Send it to respondents—they can start immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Collect Insights">
    Respondents have AI-powered voice conversations. Hallway transcribes, analyzes, and synthesizes their responses.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Your First 5 Minutes

### 1. Sign In

Go to [app.hallway.com](https://app.hallway.com) and sign in to your account. You'll land on the dashboard showing your research projects.

### 2. Create a Project

Click **New Project** and fill in:

| Field                  | What to Enter                                                    |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Project Name**       | A short, descriptive name (e.g., "New Hire Onboarding Research") |
| **Research Context**   | What you're researching and why (minimum 20 characters)          |
| **Target Respondents** | Who should participate (optional but helpful)                    |

### 3. Add Learning Objectives

Learning objectives tell the AI what insights to gather. You can:

* **Write your own**: Add specific questions or topics
* **Use AI Assistant**: Describe what you want to learn in plain English, and AI will generate structured objectives

<Tip>
  Good objectives are specific and actionable. "Understand user frustrations with the checkout flow" is better than "Learn about users."
</Tip>

### 4. Generate the Interview Guide

After creating your project, go to the **Guide** tab and click **Generate Interview Guide**. The AI creates:

* Opening script to greet respondents
* System instructions for the AI interviewer
* Probing strategies for follow-up questions
* Closing script to thank respondents

Review the guide and edit if needed. When satisfied, click **Activate Project**.

### 5. Share Your Link

Once active, click **Share Interview** in the project header to copy your interview link. Send it to respondents via:

* Email
* Slack, Teams, or messaging apps
* Social media or community forums

Respondents can start immediately—no account needed.

## What Happens Next

As respondents complete interviews:

1. Sessions appear in your **Responses** tab
2. Process sessions to generate transcripts
3. AI extracts insights and themes
4. View synthesized findings in the **Insights** tab

## Key Concepts

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Projects" icon="folder">
    Container for your research including objectives, interview guide, responses, and insights.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Interview Guide" icon="book">
    AI-generated script that directs how interviews are conducted.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sessions" icon="microphone">
    Individual interview recordings from respondents.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Synthesis" icon="lightbulb">
    AI-generated summary of findings across all responses.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Next Steps

Ready to dive deeper?

* [Creating Projects](/docs/help/getting-started/creating-projects) - Detailed guide to project setup
* [Your First Interview](/docs/help/getting-started/your-first-interview) - End-to-end walkthrough
* [How Interviews Work](/docs/help/interviews/how-interviews-work) - The respondent experience