> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.dscout.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.dscout.com/getting-started/dscout-quickstart-guide/user-roles-and-permissions.md).
# User roles and permissions
Conducting good research is a team sport, and there are a few different roles each teammate might play. Whether you’re managing a Dscout account for your organization or in the thick of conducting interviews, here’s a comprehensive breakdown of what your role means for what you can do on the platform.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Roles and permissions work a little differently when conducting interview sessions in Dscout. For more information, see [User roles in interview sessions](/interview-studies/what-are-interview-studies-in-dscout/user-roles-in-interview-sessions.md).
{% endhint %}
### User roles
There are five possible roles a user might have in Dscout:
* **Account Owner:** The member of your organization responsible for managing your overall Dscout subscription, including plan renewal, new feature access, and more. There is only one Account Owner per Dscout account.
* **Admins:** Members of your organization who might do some research but mainly monitor user access, billing, and more.
* **Researchers:** Members of your organization who are in the thick of conducting research. These might be members of your research team, UX designers, or anyone else who wants to get feedback from real users.
* **Contributors:** Members of your organization who may occasionally conduct research but mostly want to be able to see the research others are conducting. Users may also be assigned this role if they only need access to certain Dscout tools. These users can build and launch usability tests, media surveys, intercept studies, and interview studies, but they only have read/comment access to screeners and diary studies.
* **Viewers:** Members of your organization (or external stakeholders) who don’t need to conduct research directly but may want to see what research is being conducted. These users cannot build or launch research in Dscout.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** If you have any questions about specific roles in your Dscout account, or if you don’t see roles available when you believe they should be, contact your Dscout Account Manager.
{% endhint %}
### Permissions by role
To learn which users can perform specific actions, use the tables below.
#### Platform access
| Permission | Account Owner | Admin | Researcher | Contributor | Viewer |
| ------------------------------- | ------------- | -------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Project access** | All projects | All projects | Projects they’re added to | Projects they’re added to | Projects they’re added to (view-only) |
| **Account management settings** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| **Billing information** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| **Add new users** | Yes | Yes (cannot add Account Owners or Admins) | Yes (cannot add Account Owners or Admins) | No | No |
| **Manage user roles** | Yes | Yes (cannot manage Account Owners or Admins) | Yes (cannot manage Account Owners or Admins) | No | No |
#### Screeners
| Permission | Account Owner | Admin | Researcher | Contributor | Viewer |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------- | ------ |
| **Build and launch screeners** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| **Comment on screeners** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **Assign fit categories to participants** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
#### Usability tests, media surveys, and intercept studies
| Permission | Account Owner | Admin | Researcher | Contributor | Viewer |
| ---------------------------- | ------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------- | ------ |
| **Build and launch studies** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Comment on studies** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **Tag responses** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Access Test mode** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
#### Diary studies
| Permission | Account Owner | Admin | Researcher | Contributor | Viewer |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------- | ------ |
| **Build and launch diary studies** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| **Leave notes (comments) on diary studies** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **Tag responses** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
#### Interview studies
| Permission | Account Owner | Admin | Researcher | Contributor | Viewer |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------- | ------ |
| **Build and launch interview studies** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Moderate interview sessions** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Leave notes (comments) on interview studies** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
#### Dscout AI Studio
{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** All access to Dscout AI Studio requires the Dscout AI add-on. For more information, see [Dscout AI](/dscout-ai/what-is-dscout-ai.md).
{% endhint %}
| Feature | Account Owner | Admin | Researcher | Contributor | Viewer |
| ------------------------ | ------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Explore your data** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Draft your study** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| **AI moderated studies** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | View access (same as usability tests, media surveys, and intercept studies) |
| **Dscout MCP** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Read-only tools |
### Add new users
Account Owners, Admins, and Researchers can all add new users to your organization’s Dscout account. If you’re in one of these roles, you’ll add new users from the **Account management** page.
{% hint style="success" %}
If someone already has a Dscout account and just needs access to your project, see [Manage project collaborators](/getting-started/collaborate-in-dscout/manage-project-collaborators.md).
{% endhint %}
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Click the name of your Dscout account in the sidebar navigation.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Click the **Settings** icon. The **Account management** page is displayed.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Select the **Users** tab. The list of users across your account is displayed.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Click **Add a user** in the top left corner of the page.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Enter the new user’s **First name**, **Last name**, and **Email**.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Select a **Role** to assign to the user.
{% hint style="info" %}
Only Account Owners can designate someone as an Admin.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
(If applicable) Select which **Workspaces** the new user should have access to.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Click **Next**.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Select the **Projects** the new user should have access to.
{% hint style="info" %}
Admins are added to all projects by default.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
Click **Add user**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
Now, an invitation is sent to the email you entered, instructing the user to create their Dscout login. After creating their account, they’ll have access to the projects you selected. To change a user’s role, return to this page and select a new role from the **Change role** drop-down in that user’s row:
To remove a user, click the **Remove user (trash)** icon in that user's row, then click **Yes** in the confirmation modal:
### Flex seats
On some Dscout plans, you're able to adjust which users occupy certain roles on an as-needed basis. This allows you to customize your team's ability to conduct research on a cadence that makes the most sense for you. To change role types, follow the steps under Add new users to access the **Users** page, then select the desired role type for your users from the **Change role** drop-down. And to learn more, below are some frequently asked questions around how flex seats work.
How quickly do seats change owners?
When updating user roles, changes take effect immediately! At most, users currently signed in to Dscout may need to refresh their browser to see the changes reflected.
Can I change seats at any time?
Yes, as long as you have seats available. For example, if you need to assign someone a **Researcher** seat, one must be available on your account. This may require switching an existing **Researcher** to a lower role to free up their seat.
Are there best practices for changing seats?
If you've exceeded your account's seat limits, we recommend downgrading those who don't need full access to the **Viewer** role to free up seats for other users. Viewers retain access to the same projects just with fewer permissions. So in short: downgrade user roles first, then upgrade those as needed.
Will users lose data when seats are re-assigned?
No! We never want to remove your data, even after your research is finished. Downgrading users to the **Viewer** role will not remove their data, though they may be able to do less with it (refer to the table above for more information). However, keep in mind that data *is* deleted if a user's account is deleted entirely.
---
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