Reinvent your user interview process: interview process steps for smarter, scalable insights with AI surveys

The traditional user interview process can be time-consuming and difficult to scale—but AI surveys are changing that.

This article walks through interviewing users with Specific’s conversational surveys: from recruitment with sharable pages to running smart, adaptive interviews and distilling responses with AI analysis.

I’ll show you how to turn manual interviews into automated conversations that still capture deep, actionable insights.

Recruit participants with shareable survey pages

Survey pages eliminate all the back-and-forth scheduling and headaches. Instead of comparing calendars, you send a link—respondents can participate anytime, from any device. That flexibility matters: 70% of candidates prefer video or AI-powered interviews precisely for this convenience [1].

Distribution channels: Share your survey wherever your target users hang out. Email campaigns, social media posts, Slack channels, or embedding directly on your website—these make it easy to reach a broader audience and boost participation.

Instant participation: Respondents click the link and immediately begin the chat, no logins or waits. This quick entry both reduces drop-off and supercharges response rates.

"Create a recruitment survey to screen and recruit ideal user interview participants."

Run conversational interviews that adapt in real-time

AI-powered interviews skip the stiff Q&A script. Instead, the AI listens and follows up automatically—like a smart, attentive human. Research shows that AI-led interviews elicit responses with higher quality, depth, and clarity than traditional forms or rigid scripts [2].

The AI survey builder does the heavy lifting when it comes to drafting sharp, tailored questions. You prompt it with your goals; it transforms them into an interview sequence that feels thoughtful and conversational—not robotic.

Dynamic follow-ups: The AI asks “why,” follows up when answers are vague, and digs deeper on interesting nuggets. Each respondent’s conversation adapts on the fly, so people feel heard—not just processed. If you want more detail on this, I recommend exploring Specific’s automatic AI follow-up questions feature.

Natural conversation flow: Respondents chat in real-time, answering open-ended prompts and branching questions that make the survey feel more like a DM than a fill-in-the-blank form. Follow-ups give your study its conversational edge.

Interview process steps: A practical example

Curious about how those steps come together? Let’s walk through interviewing users about a new product feature. Here’s how Specific’s workflow compares with the manual approach:

Step 1: Define objectives. Instead of drafting questions by hand or recycling old scripts, prompt the AI. Want smart, targeted interview prompts for a new feature? Just describe the goal and let the survey builder craft your question set.

Step 2: Launch and distribute. Fired up your questions? Send the survey link to your user base. Hit them via email, in-product, or anywhere your audience hangs out—no scheduling or chasing required.

Step 3: Collect responses. Answers flow in as users participate. The AI follows up with probing questions, chasing specifics and clarification, all on autopilot.

"Create a feature feedback interview to gather user insights on our new product feature."

Analyze interviews with AI-powered insights

Once responses are in, AI takes over the hard work of analysis. AI summaries distill each conversation into core themes, instantly surfacing what matters. In fact, AI-led interviews have been shown to capture 97% as many relevant insights as human researchers [1].

This includes not just static summaries, but the ability to chat with GPT about responses. It’s like having an on-demand research analyst for your data: ask questions, explore trends, or check nuanced angles—no spreadsheet wrangling required.

Automated summaries: Every response is distilled into core points, saving hours (or days) of manual review. You focus on action, not admin.

Theme extraction: Across dozens (or hundreds) of interviews, AI flags recurring pain points, desires, or feature ideas. Patterns pop instantly, helping you make strategic moves faster.

Here are a few prompts you might use for analysis:

To find pain points:

"Analyze interview data to find common pain points among users."

To identify feature requests:

"Identify feature requests from user feedback."

To understand motives behind product use:

"Understand user motivations behind product usage."

Maintaining interview quality at scale

I’ve heard the skepticism: can AI match a skilled human interviewer’s nuance? With the right setup, the answer is yes—especially when you’re scaling to dozens or hundreds of participants.

Customizable tone: You set how the AI “speaks”—professional, friendly, concise, probing, or casual. This helps match both your brand and your audience. The AI survey editor lets you tweak survey style, tone, and follow-up rules so the conversation always feels “right.”

Follow-up depth: You control how persistent (or gentle) the AI should be when probing for detail. Not every user needs to be grilled; sometimes, a second nudge is enough. Tweak as needed to balance depth with user comfort.

With experience delivering conversational surveys to a huge range of industries and teams, Specific puts user experience front-and-center. The workflow is seamless for both creators and respondents, so you can trust the process and focus on results.

Transform your interview process today

Scale user interviews without losing quality, analyze feedback in a fraction of the time, and reach users you’d otherwise miss. If you’re not running automated interviews, you’re missing out on rich insights from users who can’t make scheduled calls. It’s never been easier to launch your own—create your own survey and capture those insights now.