With Dscout's "upload session" feature, users can now bring moderated session recordings completed outside of Dscout to the platform, enabling in-platform analysis features regardless of where your interview occurred. The "upload session" feature is available in all Live missions, regardless of whether you have invited Dscout panel scouts or your own participants to the mission—no special settings required!

Step 1: Launch your Live mission

In order to upload a session recording, you'll first need to create and launch a Live mission. You will be required to add a hero image, mission overview, and incentive details prior to launch; however, while you will have the ability to invite participants—in the event you're conducting sessions both on- and off-platform—, you will not be required to invite participants to the mission prior to launch.

Note: paying your participants off-platform? We recommend changing your incentive details to "no reward." You can include incentive specifics in your mission overview if needed.

Step 2: Upload your session recording

You'll have two options for uploading a session recording:

• Option 1: "Upload session" without inviting a participant
• Option 2: Pairing a session to an invited participant

Option 1: "Upload session" without inviting a participant

Navigate to the Manage page in your launched Live mission > tap "Upload session" in the top right corner.

After tapping “upload session,” you will choose to upload media for either (a) an existing scout invited in their mission or (b) for an external participant (see screenshot below).

You should select "Invited scouts" when adding a session for a participant who appears on the Manage page; selecting this option will then prompt you to select which participant currently listed in your mission the recording is for.

You should select "External participant" if you are not inviting the participant to the mission; selecting this option will prompt you to enter a first and last name for the participant, but the participant will not be added to Dscout's panel.

After tapping "Next," you will be prompted to upload your recording file.

File names must meet the following requirements:

• Can only include:
• • Alphanumeric characters
  • Underscores
  • Hyphens
  • Spaces
  • Parentheses
• Must be between 1 and 64 characters

Files cannot be larger than 4GB; supported file types include MOV, MPEG, MKV, AVI, and MP4. 

FYI: the average size of a 1 hour Zoom recording is ~2.5GB!

After attaching your file and tapping the "Upload" button, you will see an "uploading" status message, at which point you can close the "Upload a session" menu. When your recording is finished uploading, the session status on the Manage page will read "Completed," and you will be able to access the recording via your Sessions page or by tapping the "View session" button.

Note: when uploading an "external participant" session, you will notice that some features are missing, due to the fact that there is no scout or participant profile associated with the uploaded session. On that note, you will not see the option to pay a participant, their profile, the ability to download their profile picture, or the option to flag/exclude recordings uploaded using this method.

Option 2: Pairing a session to an invited participant

Navigate to the Manage page in your launched Live mission > tap the three dots in the row of the participant whose session you're uploading > select "Upload session".

After doing so, you will be prompted to upload your recording file. Files cannot be larger than 4GB; supported file types include MOV, MPEG, MKV, AVI, and MP4.

FYI: the average size of a 1 hour Zoom recording is ~2.5GB!

After attaching your file and tapping the "Upload" button, you will see an "uploading" status message, at which point you can close the "Upload a session" menu. When your recording is finished uploading, the session status on the Manage page will read "Completed," and you will be able to access the recording via your Sessions page or by tapping the "View session" button.

Step 3: Analyzing your session

Once your recording is uploaded, you'll have access to all of Dscout's session viewer analysis features, including tags, clips, and the playlist builder. Dscout will auto-detect speakers in your session transcript; if needed, you can reassign the speakers by tapping the “reassign speakers” option in the speakers drop down while viewing a recording.

Note: at this time, we do not support 3 or more speakers in a transcript. Transcripts will only reflect one participant and one moderator as the speakers, regardless of the number of participants present and speaking during the recording you've uploaded.