Should I use Live Desktop or Live Mobile?

There is a lot to take into consideration when choosing which device you'd like your scouts to use to join their Live session.  Here are a few items for consideration that may help you make the right decision for your research:

• Do you need to see a mobile app or experience?
  • Supported Devices
  • Microphone access
  • Front-facing camera
• Will you need to share your screen?
• Do you need to provide access to No-Account Guests or Collaborators?
  
  • Limiting the number of Observers
  • No-Account Guests
• Do you have a prototype or concept to share?
  
  • Mobile prototype/concept
  • Mobile approximation on desktop
  • Heavy prototype/concept

Do you need to see a mobile app or experience?

If you're hoping to see a mobile app or experience on the scout's side, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Supported Devices

Scouts participating in a Live mobile mission need to meet the minimum device requirements: a very strong WiFi connection for the interview and an iPhone with iOS14+ or an Android phone with Nougat/7.0+. Note that a Chromebook won't work, nor any type of tablet computer.

Does the mobile app or experience require or pull microphone access?

Some smartphone apps will take microphone access away from dscout Live, which means you will not be able to hear the scout speaking until they return to the dscout app.  This is a limitation that most frequently appears due to copyright protections implemented by the phone OS. 

If you're inclined to prepare the participants ahead of time, feel free to give them the following instructions:

• Hi [SCOUT], prior to your interview please remove mic access from the [APP NAME] on your phone.  Here’s how to remove mic access:
  iPhone: Settings > Privacy > Microphone > tap the toggle next to “[APP NAME]” off
  Android: Settings > Applications > Application Manager > [APP NAME] > Permissions > Turn off the mic

An alternative would be to use Live desktop and ask participants to hug their laptops.

Do you need to see or capture the scout's front-facing camera while they are viewing the mobile app or experience?

dscout Live mobile cannot accommodate - the screen share will override the front-facing camera.  Live desktop can accommodate simultaneously capturing a screen share and front-facing camera.

Will you need to share your screen?

Live mobile cannot accommodate researchers sharing their desktop screen to the scout's mobile phone.  Live desktop can accommodate researcher screen sharing.

Do you need to provide access to No-Account Guests or Observers?

Are you able to limit the number of Observers per session?

Generally speaking, the more people that join a Live session the higher the chance that there will be technical issues or lag.  We recommend keeping the number of Observers on your Live mobile call to a minimum.

Do you need to provide access for stakeholder attendees/no-account guests?

dscout Live mobile can accommodate Observers [account required], but No-Account Guests are only available on Live desktop.

Do you have a prototype or concept to share?

Is this a mobile prototype/concept?

If your prototype/concept is not specifically for mobile, we recommend using Live desktop to present the concept to scouts.

Is there a mobile experience approximation [i.e. formatted like a mobile screen in a desktop browser]?

If the prototype/concept has a mobile experience approximation within a desktop browser, much like Figma has, we recommend using Live desktop to present the concept to scouts.

Does your prototype/concept contain a lot of audio, video, screens, etc.?

Heavy prototypes that require a lot of processing power to load and run may cause issues in Live mobile.  As the smartphone dedicates more power to loading the prototype, resources may be pulled away from the scout's dscout app.  This may cause lag, audio and video issues, etc.

Now that you've got all the information you need to make a decision, feel free to check out some Tips for a successful Live session!