How to Collect AI Interviews and Code Them in NVivo (2026 Guide)
Written by Fengming Liu (UCL) · Reviewed by Prof. Shubin Yu (HEC Paris) · October 2026 · Updated: 2026-10-11 · 7 min read
Short answer: run your interviews with QualiTaTi's AI interviewer, import the transcripts into a QualiTaTi QDA project, export it as a REFI-QDA project (.qdpx), and open that file in NVivo. NVivo then shows your transcripts, codebook, cases and any coding you already did.
Why collect in QualiTaTi and code in NVivo?
NVivo is the analysis tool many universities license, but it does not run interviews with participants. QualiTaTi does the collection: an AI interviewer runs text or voice interviews from your guide and produces transcripts. You then move the transcripts, and any coding you started, into NVivo.
REFI-QDA is the open exchange standard for qualitative data analysis software. A .qdpx file is a zip that holds your transcripts as plain text plus an XML description of codes, cases and coded segments, so you do not have to copy and paste transcripts or rebuild your codebook by hand.
What you need
- A QualiTaTi account. The free plan includes 30 credits each month; exporting does not use credits.
- NVivo 14 and 15 (Windows and Mac).
- Completed interviews in QualiTaTi, or transcripts you upload yourself.
Step 1: Run the interviews
Create an AI Interviewer project, write or generate your interview guide, and run a test interview yourself before sharing the link with participants. Participants can answer by text or by voice. If your study needs ethics approval, the ethics approval kit has information-sheet, consent and data-management text you can adapt.
Step 2: Bring the transcripts into a QDA project
- Open the QDA Workspace and create a New QDA Project.
- Click Import Interviews and choose the AI Interviewer project. Completed interviews are added as documents.
- Optionally create a case for each participant and link each document to its case. Cases travel with the export.
Step 3 (optional): Start coding in QualiTaTi
You can code manually, run AI-assisted coding, or both before exporting. Accepted codes and AI suggestions still waiting for review are both exported; suggestions you rejected are left out. Each AI-coded or pending segment carries a short note saying how it was coded, so you can review it in NVivo.
Step 4: Export the .qdpx file
- In the QDA project, open the Transcripts export menu.
- Choose Project for NVivo, ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA (.qdpx).
- Save the file. It is named after your project.
Step 5: Open the file in NVivo
Windows
- In NVivo, open the File tab, click Open, then Browse.
- In the file-type list at the bottom right of the dialog, choose REFI-QDA Project (*qdpx, *qde).
- Select the .qdpx file and click Open. The Convert Project dialog opens.
- Click Browse to choose where to save the new NVivo project. Tick Import code colors to keep the colours from QualiTaTi.
- Click Convert.
Mac
- From the File menu, choose Open Project and select the .qdpx file.
- Tick Import code colors if you want the QualiTaTi colours, then click OK.
- In the Save As dialog, name the project, choose a location and click Create.
What transfers
| In QualiTaTi | In the .qdpx file |
|---|
| Interview transcripts and uploaded documents | Plain-text documents (UTF-8) |
| Codebook with parent and child codes | Code hierarchy with definitions and colours |
| Cases | Cases linked to their documents |
| Accepted and pending coded segments | Coded segments at their exact position in the text |
| Audio recordings, analysis reports and charts | Not included |
Things to know about NVivo
- NVivo's help lists data files, codes, cases, coding and classifications among the items it brings in from a REFI-QDA project, with some exceptions.
- Code custom order and attribute custom order are not transferred, so codes may appear in a different order than in QualiTaTi.
- Exchange between QDA programs is never perfectly one-to-one. Treat the .qdpx file as a hand-off, and keep your QualiTaTi project until you have checked the import.
Check your import
- The number of documents matches the number of transcripts in the QualiTaTi project.
- The codebook shows the same codes and hierarchy.
- Open two or three coded segments and confirm the highlighted text is the passage you coded in QualiTaTi.
- If you used cases, check that each document is linked to the right case.
If the import fails or something is missing, email contact@qualitati.com with your NVivo version and the error message. The export is checked against the REFI-QDA project schema, and we fix reported import problems quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Which NVivo versions can open the file?
Lumivero's help for NVivo 14 and 15, on Windows and Mac, documents opening REFI-QDA projects (.qdpx). Older versions from NVivo 12 also document the standard, but menu names differ.
Does the export include audio recordings?
No. The .qdpx file contains the transcripts as text; recordings stay in the QualiTaTi interview project.
Can I move the project back from NVivo to QualiTaTi?
Not at the moment. QualiTaTi exports .qdpx files but does not import them, so finish any QualiTaTi coding before you export.
Does exporting cost credits?
No. Exports are free on every plan, including the free plan.
Where are my interviews stored before export?
In the European Union. The trust page lists where data is stored, which providers process it, and the data processing agreement.
Sources for the NVivo steps, checked 2026-10-11: NVivo 15 (Windows) help: REFI-QDA Standard; NVivo 15 (Mac) help: REFI-QDA Standard.