Research is hard work, but you don’t always need dozens of users to find what matters. Sometimes, you just need a couple of thoughtful conversations.
To have those conversations, you can use semi-structured interviews. They’re flexible, practical, and ideal for uncovering the why behind what users do.
This guide will walk you through the principles of semi-structured interview, with tips and tricks to nail them. We’ll also show you how Marvin can help you in this process.
Our AI-powered research assistant transcribes full interviews, takes live notes, and analyzes them in minutes. Book a free demo to see Marvin in action!
What is a Semi-Structured Interview?
Chatting with users is a common UX research practice. But if you’re wondering what semi-structured interviews are, in particular, the answer is simple. They’re flexible interviews with a set of key questions that you don’t need to follow rigidly. Instead, you treat them as a guide.
As the interviewer, you ask every participant the same core questions. This gives your research some structure.
But you also leave room to explore new ideas during the conversation. If someone says something unexpected or useful, you can ask additional questions on the spot.
The key to semi-structured interviews is to keep a focused purpose and an open tone. Instead of reading a script word for word, use some driving questions and follow your curiosity.
Semi-Structured vs. Structured Interviews
Structured and semi-structured interviews help you learn from users in different ways. One sticks to the script, the other leaves room to explore.
Trying to decide which one fits your project? Take a look at this quick semi-structured interview vs. structured interview comparison:
| Feature | Semi-Structured Interview | Structured Interview |
| Question format | Guided, with open-ended prompts | Fixed, closed or scripted |
| Flexibility | High(You can follow interesting tangents) | Low(No room to explore beyond the script) |
| Interviewer role | Adapts the flow based on the participant’s answers | Reads questions exactly as written |
| Data consistency | Moderate(Some variation, but still covers key topics) | High(Great for comparing across many people) |
| Depth of insight | Deep(Unlocks context, emotion, and reasoning) | Shallow(Good for yes/no or fact-based questions) |
| Best for | Product discovery, usability themes, customer experience | Surveys, large samples, quick checks |
| Example use | “Can you walk me through how you use the app each day?” | “Do you use our app every day?” |
Advantages of Semi-Structured Interviews
With semi-structured interviews, you hit the sweet spot between structure and spontaneity. You get the clarity of planned questions and the freedom to uncover what users care about. This translates into several key advantages:
- Rich, detailed answers: Open-ended questions invite users to share thoughts, feelings, and real-world experiences.
- Faster rapport-building: The conversational tone helps users relax, which leads to more honest feedback.
- Adaptable on the fly: You can change the order of questions or skip irrelevant ones based on the flow.
- Compatible with mixed methods: It pairs nicely with usability tests, surveys, or analytics to explain the “why.”
When to Use Semi-Structured Interviews
This kind of interview works well when looking for patterns and stories. You know what you want to learn, but not how people will talk about it. So you need both consistency and surprise, which is usually the case when you’re:
- Just starting product development: You may want to explore user needs, habits, or decision-making before building anything. This format helps you uncover pain points and expectations in users’ own words.
- Testing early ideas: You can ask about a concept or feature, then follow the user’s thought process. This gives you feedback that goes beyond yes or no.
- Redesigning or updating an experience: You ask what works, what feels off, or what users wish to do. The format lets you adapt as the conversation shifts, while covering your primary goals.
- Doing post-launch reflection: If something didn’t land as expected, these interviews help explain why. You can explore emotional reactions, usage patterns, and edge cases you didn’t plan for.
How to Design Effective Semi-Structured Interview Questions
In a semi-structured qualitative interview, you want questions that open up insights, not just fill in blanks. The following tips will help you shape such questions.
1. Set Your Research Goal
A good interview doesn’t start with clever wording. It starts with a clear goal. If your goal isn’t sharp, your questions won’t be either.
Ask yourself, “What am I trying to understand? Am I exploring habits, pain points, or reactions to a product?”
Let this answer shape your entire interview plan.
2. Use Open-Ended Questions
Unlike the closed ones, open-ended questions invite users to tell stories. These stories often reveal what matters most to them, not just what you expected.
Try starting your product feedback questions with ‘how’, ‘what’, or ‘can you walk me through…’
Such phrasing leaves space for emotion, context, and detail—all things you need to design better products.
3. Keep the Language Simple
You may live in UX lingo, but your users probably don’t. That’s why you need clarity over cleverness.
Want to gain stronger insights? Use everyday words and natural phrasing, which is easier to understand and answer.
If a question sounds stiff or academic, rewrite it. Ask the way you’d ask a teammate or friend.
4. Go from Broad to Specific
Start wide to give users room to define what’s important. General questions that open the door are good starters.
Once they’ve shared a few things, zoom in. Follow their lead and ask about specific actions, thoughts, or feelings.
This way, you’ll uncover both big themes and detailed examples without jumping in too fast.
5. Avoid Leading or Biased Phrasing
It’s easy to lead someone without meaning to. Words like “easy,” “good,” or “helpful” can sneak in.
But these words signal what kind of answer you expect or want.
Try to keep your tone neutral, especially when asking about your product. To avoid bias, ask what the experience was, not what it should have been.
6. Prepare Prompts, Not Just Questions
Prompts give you tools to keep the conversation flowing naturally without over-directing it.
Every main question should have a few backup prompts. These are gentle nudges to go deeper without changing the subject.
For example, you might ask, “Can you say more about that?” or “What made that difficult?”
How to Conduct a Semi-Structured Interview
Once your questions are ready, it’s time to sit down with real users. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to run an interview that gives you actionable insights.
1. Set the Stage
A clear, respectful setup makes the participant feel at ease and builds trust.
Before you begin asking questions, explain what the interview is about and what you’re hoping to learn. Mention how long it will take, and confirm whether they’re comfortable being recorded.
2. Build Rapport
Start with easy, friendly questions about their role, workflow, or how they typically use tools like yours.
These small moments connect and make the conversation more of a dialogue than an interrogation. The more they can relax, the more open they’ll become.
3. Follow a Guide, Not a Script
The beauty of semi-structured interviews is the freedom to follow the unexpected. Some of the best insights come when you lean into it.
So, stay focused without getting stuck on the page. Use your interview questions as a flexible guide, not a rigid list. And if the participant says something unexpected or useful, let the conversation shift.
A thoughtful “What made that frustrating?” follow-up can take you to unforeseen paths. Just keep your tone curious and patient, not pushy.
4. Listen Actively
Pay close attention to what they say and how they say it. Tone, hesitation, or excitement can reveal just as much as words.
Show your engagement through posture, facial expressions, or short verbal cues. And while you try not to interrupt, don’t be afraid to gently steer when they go off track.
If you fear missing insights, our AI research assistant can help. Marvin takes live notes and time-stamps the transcript so you can focus fully on the interviewee.
Create a free Marvin account to capture semi-structured interviews without worries.
5. Keep an Eye on Time
Stay aware of the clock without letting it rush you. Aim to hit your key topics, but allow time for depth.
When the time runs short, focus on what matters most to your research goal. It’s better to get one strong story than five shallow answers.
6. Wrap Up with a Thank You
You might need to follow up as part of your product feedback loop or member checking process.
Thanking them sincerely for their time and input encourages future participation and builds goodwill.
Semi-Structured Interview Example
What does a semi-structured interview sound like in product design? Here’s a quick example.
The interviewer speaks with a task management app user about their daily planning routine. Their goal is to learn where digital tools help and where they get in the way.
The insights gathered here will shape the next version of the app.
Interviewer: Thanks again for taking the time today. I’d love to start by asking —
Can you walk me through how you plan your workday?
(This is a prepared, open-ended question that sets the tone.)
Participant: Sure. I usually start by checking my email first thing, which I hate, but it feels necessary. Then I open my planner — sometimes it’s paper, sometimes Google Tasks.
Interviewer: You mentioned email feels necessary but frustrating.
Can you say more about that?
(This is a natural follow-up. The interviewer is reacting to something unplanned but relevant.)
Participant: Yeah, it sets the tone for my day, but I get pulled into things before I’ve planned anything. I end up reacting instead of thinking.
Interviewer: That makes sense.
So when you do switch to planning, what helps you stay focused?
(This shifts gently back toward the original topic, without forcing a script.)
Participant: I use time blocks. I’ll group tasks into chunks, like deep work in the morning. But it only works if I don’t have meetings.
Interviewer: Interesting.
When it works well, what does that feel like?
(Here, the interviewer uses prompts to dig deeper into success.)
Participant: I guess it feels calm, like I know what’s coming. I’m not scrambling all day.
Interviewer: That’s helpful. And when it falls apart, what usually causes that?
(This follow-up prompt balances the earlier one and invites a deeper look at breakdown moments.)
Participant: Meetings. Or people asking for things last minute. I drop my plan and just react.
This kind of exchange is where semi-structured interviews shine. You get past features and into the experience. That’s the insight that helps teams design products people actually want to use.
Common Mistakes in Semi-Structured Interviews and How to Avoid Them
Even with the best questions and prep, semi-structured interviews in qualitative research can go off course.
The good news? Most mistakes that blur your findings and weaken your insights are avoidable. Discover them below to know what to watch for.
Asking Leading Questions
A leading question suggests the answer you want to hear. This can skew results and silence honest feedback.
For example, “How easy was that feature to use?” already assumes it was easy. Try “What was your experience using that feature?” instead.
Keep your tone neutral and your phrasing open.
Talking Too Much
It’s tempting to fill in the silence or explain your question in five different ways. But the more you talk, the less your user shares.
Ask your question, then pause. Give them time to think.
If the answer is unclear, gently prompt them to go deeper, without taking over the conversation.
Not Following Up
Sometimes a user will hint at something interesting, and it’s easy to nod and move on. But that’s often where the gold is hiding.
If someone says, “That part was frustrating,” don’t breeze past it. Ask why. Ask what happened.
Follow-up questions turn surface-level answers into real insights.
Ignoring Nonverbal Cues
Body language, tone, and pauses all carry meaning, even in remote interviews.
When someone hesitates, laughs nervously, or looks uncomfortable, that’s a sign.
You can gently check in, “I noticed you paused. Was that part tricky?”
Reading these cues takes practice, but it adds depth to your data.
Rushing the Wrap-Up
The end of the interview often brings useful reflection. You might miss that if you rush to close once your questions are done.
Leave a few minutes to ask, “Is there anything else you’d like to share?” You’d be surprised how often the best insight comes last.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Let’s end this semi-structured interview guide with some common FAQs on the topic:
How Do You Analyze Data from Semi-Structured Interviews?
Start by reviewing your notes or transcripts, looking for key themes and recurring patterns. Next, group similar insights, tag them, and pull out quotes that reflect user needs or frustrations. The goal is to synthesize, not just summarize, the key insights.
If you need help moving faster, create a free account with Marvin, our AI-powered research assistant. It can analyze interviews in minutes.
How Long Should a Semi-Structured Interview Typically Last?
Most semi-structured interviews run between 30 and 60 minutes. That’s enough to build trust, explore several key topics, and ask some follow-ups without exhausting your participant.
If you’re testing something more complex, such as a prototype, you might go longer. Just stay focused and respect the participant’s time.
Can Semi-Structured Interviews Be Conducted Remotely?
Yes, remote interviews are now a standard part of UX research. You can use Zoom, Google Meet, or other similar tools to connect with users anywhere. But to ease your work even more, try Marvin. Our user research platform makes remote interviews easier by recording, transcribing, and tagging everything for you.
Conclusion
Semi-structured interviews in qualitative research give you the best of both worlds:
- Structure where you need it
- Flexibility where it counts
They help you get past surface-level answers and into the real stories behind your users’ behavior.
With thoughtful planning and a bit of practice, you can turn every conversation into insight. But analyzing all that rich data can be slow and overwhelming. That’s where the right tool makes all the difference.
To spend more time listening and less time sorting through transcripts, create a free Marvin account.
Our research repository uses AI to do the heavy lifting for you. It tags, summarizes, and extracts the key moments from your interviews. All so you can focus on genuine user conversations and designing products they actually want.
