For consultants after the interviews
Interview Synthesis From Your Transcripts
An interview synthesis from your transcripts or notes: every theme counted out of everyone you interviewed, word-for-word quotes, and what to ask next round.
Free to start. No card needed.
How to synthesize interviews by hand
Start while the interviews are fresh: the UK government's Service Manual says to analyze as soon as you can after each round. It suggests 1 hour of analysis per 2 hours of research1, or about 6 hours for 12 hour-long interviews. Code each one: tag every point with a short label, the speaker's role and where it appears. A label says what was said ("sales promise dates depots can't meet"), so you can match it across interviews. Label them all before you group anything, or the first few will set the themes.
Next, chart the codes in a grid: one row per interviewee, one column per code. That matrix is the core of the Framework Method2, which comes from British policy research. Group the codes into themes and name each as a claim ("orders get lost between sales and the depots"), not a topic ("handoffs"). Count people, not mentions, out of everyone interviewed, and note how many you asked. Sort the rows by level: if all three leaders call the new system live and none of the nine staff do, that split is the finding.
Before calling a theme a finding, check its source: if every mention comes from one team, or people only agreed once you suggested it, test it next round. Nielsen Norman Group warns that leading questions result in biased or false answers3. Quote word for word, mark cuts with an ellipsis and attribute by role. The UK Data Service, which archives research data, notes that a distinctive job role can reveal who someone is4 even without a name. Use a broader label, like "senior leader." Last, preview hard findings with your sponsor before the readout.
How it works
How River synthesizes your interviews
Give River your interviews: up to 10 transcripts or notes files in the box at the top, or the notes you typed in each conversation. River reads every interview in full before it writes a word. For each one, it notes the speaker's role and each point they made, in their own words. It also notes whether they raised each point unprompted, after an open question, or only once the interviewer suggested it. Where a role is unclear, it says so instead of guessing.
Each theme is a claim, counted as raised by X of N, where N is everyone you interviewed, and split by group when leaders and staff differ. River's rule is never to write "most" or "many" without the numbers in the same sentence. Themes from one team are flagged. Themes resting on the interviewer's suggestion move to Held back, each with a neutral question to test it. Before it finishes, River checks every quote against its transcript; if the exact words aren't there, it fixes the quote or drops the quotation marks.
Use it after a round of stakeholder, customer or expert interviews, while you can still go back with questions. The synthesis opens with what was read and the three findings that matter most. Then come the themes, where people disagree, what was held back, what nobody covered and a theme table for your deck. From there, River can turn the themes into an answer-first storyline or write a short interview guide for the next round. For one meeting's decisions and actions, use the meeting minutes generator instead.
How it works
From transcripts to findings
Drop your interviews
Drop up to 10 transcripts or notes files, or paste the notes from each conversation.
River reads everything
It reads every interview in full first, noting who said what and whether they raised it unprompted.
Get your synthesis
Themes land in your workspace with counts, word-for-word quotes, disagreements and the gaps nobody covered.
Take it further
Edit and share it, or ask River to build the storyline or a guide for the next round.
| Theme | Raised by | In their words |
|---|---|---|
| Orders get lost between sales and the depots | 7 of 12 · every level | “We find out it’s sold when the truck is already late.” Depot manager, #4 |
| Staff still work around the new system | 6 of 12 · staff 6 of 9, leaders 0 of 3 | “We still print the sheet.” Supervisor, #11 |
| Overtime is how targets get met | 4 of 12 · supervisors 4 of 5 | “Saturday is the plan, not the backup.” Supervisor, #9 |
Held back: 3 of the 4 who blamed pricing only agreed after the interviewer suggested it.
What you'll get
Themes from your interviews, with counts and quotes
- Every theme with how many people raised it, out of how many
- Quotes word for word, each with the interview it came from
- Where groups disagree, and what to ask in the next round
Before and after
Your interviews in. Findings you can defend.
Nine Teams transcripts and typed notes from three more calls, for a logistics client: three executives, four depot managers and five shift supervisors.
1. Orders get lost between sales and the depots · 7 of 12, every level “We find out it’s sold when the truck is already late.” Depot manager, interview 4 “Sales promise Tuesday and nobody asks us.” Supervisor, interview 8 The delay starts before the depot, so a depot-only fix will miss it. Where people disagree: is the new system in use? Leaders, 3 of 3: “It’s rolled out everywhere.” Executive, interview 1 Staff, 6 of 9: “We still print the sheet.” Supervisor, interview 11 To settle it: a month of order logs from each depot.
Counts and quotes side by side, so you can tell a pattern from one loud voice.
What lands in your doc
What's in your interview synthesis
- A summary of what was read, from which groups, the three key findings and the biggest open question
- Each theme stated as a claim, with how many people raised it out of everyone interviewed
- Word-for-word quotes checked against each transcript, tagged by role and interview, flagged if they could identify someone
- Where people disagree on a fact, one quote from each side and the data that would settle it
- Held-back themes resting on the interviewer's suggestion or one voice, each with a neutral question to test it
- Topics few people covered, teams and sites you didn't interview, and a theme table for your deck
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is interview synthesis?
Interview synthesis is the work after a round of interviews: turning what people said into a short list of findings you can defend. Each finding is a theme stated as a claim, with how many people raised it out of everyone interviewed and their exact words as evidence. A good synthesis also records where groups disagree and what the interviews never covered.
How do I synthesize interviews with River?
Drop up to 10 transcripts or notes files into the box at the top of this page, or paste your notes, and choose Synthesize my interviews. River reads every interview and writes the synthesis into your free River workspace. Paste the text of any file that won't upload, such as a Zoom .vtt transcript. Add more interviews later in the same workspace and ask River to update the themes.
How many interviews do you need?
For one fairly uniform group with a narrow question, 9 to 17 interviews are often enough. A 2022 systematic review5 found that studies of real interview data reached saturation, the point where new interviews stop raising new issues, within that range. Leaders and frontline staff aren't one group, so plan enough of each. The stakeholder interview guide template helps you set a target for each question.
Will it keep my interviewees anonymous?
Quotes carry a role and an interview number, not a name, unless your notes say people agreed to be named. Quotes that could identify the speaker, such as one from the only finance director, are flagged. So are quotes from anyone who asked that their words be kept from a named person. You decide what reaches the client.
How is this different from asking ChatGPT to summarize transcripts?
A summary says what was discussed; a synthesis says what holds across the interviews and how sure you can be. River counts each theme out of everyone interviewed, checks every quote against its transcript, and keeps points people raised themselves apart from ones they only agreed to when prompted. See River and ChatGPT side by side.
Is my client's material private?
Your files are saved in your own River workspace, private unless you share them. To write the synthesis, River sends them to the AI provider doing the work. Under River's privacy policy, River doesn't train AI models on your content, and its providers' agreements rule that out too. Check your engagement letter for limits on where client material may go.
Is the interview synthesis tool free?
Yes, it is free to start, with no card needed. Your interview synthesis opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
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