InterFlow: Designing Unobtrusive AI to Empower Interviewers in Semi-Structured Interviews

Abstract: Semi-structured interviews are a common method in qualitative research. However, conducting high-quality interviews is challenging, as it requires interviewers to actively listen to participants, adapt their plans as the conversation unfolds, and probe effectively. We propose InterFlow, an AI-powered visual scaffold that helps interviewers manage the interview flow and facilitates real-time data sensemaking. The system dynamically adapts the interview script to the ongoing conversation and provides a visual timer to track interview progress and conversational balance. It further supports information capture with three levels of automation: manual entry, AI-assisted summary with user-specified focus, and a co-interview agent that proactively surfaces potential follow-up points. A within-subject user study (N = 12) indicates that InterFlow reduces interviewers' cognitive load and facilitates the interview process. Based on the user study findings, we provide design implications for unobtrusive and agency-preserving AI assistance under time-sensitive and cognitively demanding situations.