How to Set It Up

Configure and launch your first AI interview in 5–10 minutes.

Before You Begin

You'll need:

A Prelaunch.com account
A clear research goal (e.g., "understand why users cancel")
Your target audience ready to receive the interview link

Time to complete: 5–10 minutes

Tip: Have your product description ready — 2–3 sentences about what you're building and who it's for.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Access AI Interviewer

Click Research projects in the top right corner dropdown

Select New interview from your dashboard

Click Start AI Interview Setup

Step 2. Choose Your Interview Type

Select the category that best matches your research goal:

Discovery & Validation Interviews

When to use: Early-stage research, before building or launching

Interview types:

Exploratory / Discovery: understand customer needs and pain points
Concept Testing: validate ideas before building
Messaging & Positioning: test how to communicate your value
Pricing & Value Perception: understand willingness to pay

Goal: Understand customer needs, test concepts, and validate product-market fit before investing heavily.

Product Experience Interviews

When to use: During or after development

Interview types:

Prototype / Usability Testing: find friction points in your product
Pre-Launch "Expectation": gauge what users expect before release
Post-Release Satisfaction: measure how well the product delivered

Goal: Spot friction, refine the user experience, and ensure the product delivers on expectations.

Retention & Growth Interviews

When to use: After launch, optimizing for long-term success

Interview types:

Engagement & Habit: understand what drives regular usage
Churn / Exit: learn why customers leave
Retention & Expansion: discover upsell and cross-sell opportunities

Goal: Uncover drivers of long-term retention, prevent churn, and discover upsell/cross-sell opportunities.

Step 3. Configure Your Product

You'll be asked to describe what you're researching. This helps the AI ask relevant questions.

Product Name

Enter the name of your product, feature, or service
Example: "Premium Subscription Plan" or "Mobile App Redesign"

Category

Select the category that best fits your product from the dropdown

Description (up to 1,600 characters)

Briefly describe what you're building and who it's for
Include: core features, target audience, main benefits

Why this matters: The AI uses this context to ask smarter, more relevant questions during interviews.

Step 4. Customize Your AI Interviewer (bot setup)

Choose how your AI interviewer will interact with participants.

Interview Format

Voice Interview - Audio-only call (like a phone interview)

Interview Duration

5 minutes — Quick pulse check or exit interview
10 minutes — Focused topic exploration Recommended
20 minutes — In-depth discovery
30 minutes — Comprehensive research

Tip: Shorter interviews have higher completion rates. Start with 10–15 minutes.

Interviewer Persona

Select the visual avatar for the persona — the face candidates will see during the interview.

Step 5. Define Your Interview Goals

Click continue and "Chat with AI to define your interview goals"
Describe your research objective in plain language
Review the generated interview topics
Edit or refine topics to match your specific needs

As soon as your interview is ready, a link is generated. You can copy the link and share it with your target audience via email, in-product tooltip, cancellation flow, or social.

Tip: Keep it focused on 4–6 core topics. The AI will automatically probe deeper during conversations.

Step 6. Test Your Interview Highly Recommended

Your interview link is now generated and visible on screen
Click the link to open it in a new tab
Complete the interview as if you were a customer
Review your test interview in the dashboard
Make any needed adjustments

Tip: Testing takes 5–10 minutes but prevents issues with real customers.