Semi-Structured Interviews: Configuration and Best Practices

A Semi-Structured Interview on Qualz.ai balances the consistency of a script with the flexibility of natural conversation. The AI moderator follows your core questions but can rephrase for clarity, adjust the order slightly, and draw from a configurable probe bank per question to explore responses in depth. This is the most versatile interview mode and is suitable for the majority of qualitative research projects.

What Makes a Semi-Structured Interview Different?

The semi-structured mode gives the AI moderator controlled flexibility:

• Questions can be rephrased — The AI may rephrase a question slightly to match the flow of conversation or to improve clarity, while preserving the original intent
• Order can be adjusted — If the participant's response naturally leads into a later topic, the AI can adjust the sequence slightly for a more natural flow
• Probe bank per question — Each question has its own set of follow-up probes that the AI can draw from, controlled by a probe policy and max probe count
• Smart skipping — If a participant's answer already addresses a probe's topic, the AI will skip it to avoid redundancy
• Per-question stimulus — Assign stimulus images to individual questions for visual research

This makes semi-structured interviews ideal for studies where you need both coverage of key topics and the depth that comes from natural conversation.

How to Set Up a Semi-Structured Interview

Step 1: Select Semi-Structured Interview Mode

During the interview creation process, select Semi-structured from the Interview Mode cards.

Step 2: Build Your Interview Guide

Option A: Generate with AI Click Generate with AI in the Interview Guide section. The platform generates main questions, each with a probe bank of follow-up questions. The AI allocates approximately 2-3 minutes per question-and-probe pair.

Option B: Add Questions Manually Click Add Question and type your question text inline. Then expand the question card to add probes and configure probe handling.

Option C: Paste an Existing Guide Click Paste existing guide, paste your freeform text, and click Structure pasted guide to convert it into the structured format with probe banks.

Step 3: Configure Probes Per Question

Expand any question card to configure its probing behavior:

Probe Policy

Each question has a Probe handling dropdown that controls how the AI selects follow-ups:

Max Probes

Set the Max probes count to limit how many follow-up questions the AI can ask per main question (e.g., 1, 2, or 3). This helps manage interview pacing.

Adding Probes

Click + Add in the Probe section to create follow-up questions. Each probe should dig deeper into the main question's topic — not introduce a new subject.

Step 4: Assign Stimulus (Optional)

Click the image icon on any question card to assign a stimulus image. The image will be displayed to participants when that specific question is asked.

How the AI Moderator Runs a Semi-Structured Interview

Opening

The AI introduces itself using your configured AI interviewer name, briefly explains that this will be an open conversation, and immediately asks the first question from the guide.

During the Interview

For each main question, the AI follows this adaptive pattern:

1. Displays any assigned stimulus image
2. Asks the main question (may rephrase slightly for natural delivery)
3. Listens to the participant's full response
4. Selects probes from the bank according to the configured probe policy and max count:
   • If the response is brief or surface-level, the AI draws probes to explore further
   • If the response already addresses a probe's topic, the AI skips it
5. Gives a brief acknowledgment and transitions to the next question

Key behaviors:

• Asks either a main question or a probe per turn, never both
• Can adjust question order if the participant naturally brings up a later topic
• Respects the configured max probe count per question
• Never introduces questions that aren't in the guide

Closing

After covering all questions (or when the participant chooses to end), the AI thanks them and concludes.

When to Use Semi-Structured Interviews

Ideal scenarios:

• User experience research — Understand how people interact with products while maintaining coverage of key topics
• Market research — Explore customer needs and preferences with room for unexpected insights
• Academic qualitative research — Standard methodology for most qualitative studies
• Employee or stakeholder interviews — Cover required topics while allowing natural conversation
• Any study where you have specific questions but want the flexibility to explore interesting responses

Consider a different mode when:

• You need exact question-to-question comparability across participants — try Structured
• You're in early discovery and don't have specific questions yet — try Unstructured
• You have a very specific research methodology in mind — try Specialized Modes

Best Practices

1. Write probes that deepen, not redirect — A good probe extends the main question: "Can you tell me more about that?" A bad probe introduces a new topic: "What about pricing?"

2. Use probe policies strategically — For critical questions, use Ask at least one. For nice-to-have depth, use Only if needed. For thorough exploration, use Ask all probes.

3. Set appropriate max probe counts — 1-2 probes per question keeps the interview moving. 3+ probes works for longer interviews or fewer main questions.

4. Trust the AI's judgment on skipping — The AI is designed to skip probes when the participant has already provided sufficient depth.

5. Use stimulus for visual research — Assign product mockups or concepts to specific questions so they appear at exactly the right moment. See the Stimulus Images in Interviews guide for details.

6. Plan for 2-3 minutes per question-probe pair — This accounts for the main question, the participant's response, possible probes, and transitions.

7. Pilot test with AI Participants — Run your interview with AI Participants first to see how the AI handles your probe policies and whether the interview fits within the time limit.

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Need help setting up probe strategies for your research? Our team can help you design the right probe policies, recruit participants, and analyze results. Book a call →

Related Guides

• Understanding Interview Types — Compare all three interview modes
• Stimulus Images in Interviews — Add visual materials to your interview
• Structured Interviews — For maximum consistency
• Unstructured Interviews — For maximum exploration