> ## 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.

# How Interviews Work

> Learn how Hallway's AI-powered voice interviews collect insights from your respondents

Hallway uses conversational AI to conduct voice interviews on your behalf. Respondents have a natural conversation with an AI interviewer that asks questions based on your research objectives.

## The Respondent Experience

When someone clicks your interview link, they go through a simple process:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Review Project Context">
    Respondents see your project name, research description, and estimated interview duration. They also review a privacy notice explaining how their responses will be used.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Provide Contact Info (Optional)">
    Respondents can optionally enter their name and email. This helps you identify responses later, but is completely optional.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Attributes (If Enabled)">
    If the project has respondent attributes enabled, respondents select their demographic information (e.g., department, role level) from dropdown menus. Required attributes must be selected; optional ones can be skipped.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Have a Conversation">
    The AI interviewer greets them and guides a natural conversation. Respondents speak directly into their device's microphone while the AI listens, responds, and asks follow-up questions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Attributes are configured per-project. If you want to collect demographic data, enable attributes when creating your project. See [Workspace Settings](/docs/help/account/workspace-settings) to configure attribute categories.
</Tip>

## What Respondents See

During the interview, respondents see:

* **Visual feedback** showing when they're speaking vs. when the AI is speaking
* **Live transcript** of the conversation as it happens
* **Time remaining** so they know how long is left
* **End Interview button** to finish early if needed

<Note>
  Interviews work best on desktop or laptop computers with a reliable microphone. Mobile devices work too, but a quiet environment helps ensure clear audio.
</Note>

## How the AI Interviewer Works

The AI interviewer is powered by your interview guide, which includes:

* **Opening script** - How the AI greets respondents and sets context
* **System instructions** - The AI's personality and interview approach
* **Probing instructions** - How the AI asks follow-up questions
* **Closing script** - How the AI wraps up the conversation

The AI adapts to each respondent's answers, asking relevant follow-up questions to dig deeper into topics that matter for your research.

## Interview Duration

Each interview has a configurable time limit (default is 10 minutes). Respondents see:

* A countdown timer showing time remaining
* Visual warnings when 2 minutes remain
* A final warning at 30 seconds

The interview automatically ends when time runs out, or respondents can end early by clicking the "End Interview" button.

## What Happens After

Once a respondent finishes:

1. Their audio recording is securely uploaded
2. The interview appears in your **Responses** tab
3. You can process the session to generate a transcript
4. AI extracts key insights from the conversation
5. Findings are added to your project synthesis

<Tip>
  Process sessions promptly to keep your insights up to date. You can process individual sessions or use bulk processing to handle multiple at once.
</Tip>

## Privacy & Security

Hallway takes respondent privacy seriously:

* Interviews are accessed via secure, unique links
* Audio recordings are stored securely and only accessible to the project owner
* Respondents can end the interview at any time
* No account or login is required for respondents
* Contact information is optional

## Next Steps

* [Share your interview link](sharing-interviews) with respondents
* [Configure interview settings](interview-settings) like time limits