The Complete Journey
1
Create Your Project
Set up your research with context and objectives
2
Generate Interview Guide
Let AI create your interview script
3
Activate & Share
Get your interview link and send to respondents
4
Collect Responses
Respondents complete AI-powered voice interviews
5
Process & Analyze
Transcribe sessions and extract insights
6
Review Synthesis
See AI-generated findings across all responses
Step 1: Create Your Project
Navigate to New Project
- Sign in to app.hallway.com
- Click New Project in the dashboard
Fill in Project Details
Project Name: Choose something descriptiveExample: “Mobile App Onboarding Research”Research Context: Explain what you’re researching
Example: “We’re seeing a 60% drop-off during mobile app onboarding. We want to understand where users get confused, what expectations they have when starting, and what would make them more likely to complete setup.”Target Respondents (optional): Who should participate
Example: “Users who downloaded our app in the last 7 days but didn’t complete onboarding”
Add Learning Objectives
Use the AI Assistant or add manually:- Identify the specific steps where users abandon onboarding
- Understand what users expect to accomplish during first app launch
- Discover what information or guidance would increase completion rates
- Learn how our onboarding compares to users’ experiences with similar apps
Step 2: Generate Your Interview Guide
After creating the project, you’ll land on the project page.Generate the Guide
- Go to the Guide tab
- Click Generate Interview Guide
- Wait for the AI to create your guide (usually 10-15 seconds)
Review the Guide
The AI generates four components:Opening Script
How the AI greets respondents and sets context for the conversation.
System Instructions
The AI interviewer’s personality, approach, and focus areas.
Probing Instructions
How the AI asks follow-up questions to dig deeper.
Closing Script
How the AI wraps up and thanks respondents.
Edit if Needed
Click Edit Guide to modify any section. Common adjustments:- Update the tone to match your brand
- Add specific questions you want asked
- Adjust probing depth for sensitive topics
Step 3: Activate & Share
Activate Your Project
- Review your guide one more time
- Click Activate Project
- Confirm in the dialog
Get Your Interview Link
- Click Share Interview in the project header
- Click Copy to copy the link to your clipboard
Send to Respondents
Share the link via:- Email: Include context about time commitment and topic
- Slack/Teams: Quick distribution to team members
- Survey follow-up: Embed in screener surveys
- Social/Community: Post where your target users are
Hi [Name], We’re researching how to improve our mobile app onboarding experience and would love your input. Click this link to have a 10-minute voice conversation with our AI interviewer: [link] No preparation needed—just share your honest experience. Your feedback directly shapes our product. Thanks!
Step 4: Collect Responses
What Respondents Experience
When someone clicks your link:- Welcome Screen: They see your project name, research description, and estimated time
- Contact Info (optional): They can enter name/email or skip
- Privacy Notice: They review how their responses will be used
- Voice Interview: The AI conducts a natural conversation
- Completion: They see a thank-you message
Monitor Progress
Check your Responses tab to see:| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Sessions | How many interviews have been started |
| Completed | How many finished successfully |
| In Progress | Currently active interviews |
| Processed | How many have been transcribed and analyzed |
Interviews typically take 5-15 minutes depending on your time limit setting. Respondents can end early if they’ve shared everything.
Step 5: Process & Analyze
Process Sessions
After interviews complete:- Go to the Responses tab
- Find sessions with status “Completed”
- Click Process on individual sessions, or use Process All for bulk processing
- Full transcript of the conversation
- Key themes and insights extracted
- Quotes linked to your learning objectives
Review Individual Sessions
Click on any session to see:- Complete transcript with timestamps
- Respondent info (if provided)
- Duration and completion status
- Extracted insights from that conversation
Step 6: Review Synthesis
Generate Project Synthesis
Once you have multiple processed sessions:- Go to the Insights tab
- Click Generate Synthesis (if not auto-generated)
- AI combines insights across all responses
What Synthesis Shows
The synthesis report includes:Executive Summary
Executive Summary
High-level overview of key findings across all interviews
Findings by Objective
Findings by Objective
What you learned related to each learning objective, with supporting quotes
Key Themes
Key Themes
Patterns that emerged across multiple respondents
Notable Quotes
Notable Quotes
Impactful statements from respondents that capture key insights
Recommendations
Recommendations
Suggested actions based on the research findings
Export Your Report
Click Export Report to download a formatted Markdown report for sharing with stakeholders.Tips for Your First Interview
Test the link yourself first
Test the link yourself first
Click your own interview link to experience what respondents will see. You can end early—it won’t affect your data.
Start with 3-5 respondents
Start with 3-5 respondents
You don’t need dozens of interviews for useful insights. Start small and add more if needed.
Process sessions promptly
Process sessions promptly
Process sessions soon after completion so insights are fresh and you can adjust your approach if needed.
Check synthesis after new responses
Check synthesis after new responses
Re-generate synthesis as you add more responses. Look for the “Stale Synthesis” banner indicating new data is available.
Troubleshooting
Respondents can’t start the interview?- Ensure they allowed microphone access
- Check they’re using a modern browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
- Desktop works more reliably than mobile
- Processing typically takes 1-2 minutes
- Refresh the page to check updated status
- Long interviews may take longer to transcribe
- Ensure all sessions are processed (not just completed)
- Look for the “Stale Synthesis” banner and click to regenerate
Next Steps
Now that you’ve completed your first interview cycle:- How Interviews Work - Deep dive into the respondent experience
- Sharing Interviews - Best practices for distribution
- Interview Settings - Configure time limits and options