Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) is an interviewing technique in which the respondent or interviewer uses an electronic device to answer the questions. It is similar to computer-assisted telephone interviewing, except that the interview takes place in person instead of over the telephone. This method is usually preferred over a telephone interview when the questionnaire is long and complex. It has been classified as a personal interviewing technique because an interviewer is usually present to serve as a host and to guide the respondent. If no interviewer is present, the term Computer-Assisted Self Interviewing (CASI) may be used. An example of a situation in which CAPI is used as the method of data collection is the British Crime Survey.

Characteristics of this interviewing technique are:

• Either the respondent or an interviewer operates a device (this could be a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone) and answers a questionnaire.
• The questionnaire is an application that takes the respondent through a set of questions using a pre-designed route based on answers given by the respondent.
• Help screens and courteous error messages are provided.
• Colorful screens and on and off-screen stimuli can add to the respondent's interest and involvement in the task.
• This approach is used in shopping malls, preceded by the intercept and screening process.
• CAPI is also used to interview households, using sampling techniques like random walk to get a fair representation of the area that needs to be interviewed.
• It is also used to conduct business-to-business research at trade shows or conventions.