Dscout usability tests are continuously recorded, meaning each participant’s submission is accompanied by a video that spans the entire length of their session. These recordings include the participant’s audio and a recording of the participant’s screen, and they may also include a recording from the participant’s camera depending on how you set up your mission.
To view a participant’s usability test session:
- Navigate to the Responses tab of your study.
- Select Participants in the left sidebar.
- Select the participant whose session you want to view.
- Click View full recording in the top right of the participant’s response data.
Now, the participant’s session recording is displayed. Here, you can watch the recording in full. By default, the session transcript is displayed to the right of the recording.
Navigate session recordings
Recordings may be anywhere from a few minutes in length to nearly an hour. But you can use Dscout’s built-in video player to navigate the recording in whatever way works best for you. Refer to the image and table below to understand your playback options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Swap video positions (1) |
Changes which part of the session recording (a participant’s screen recording or camera recording) is prioritized in the video player. By default, the participant’s screen recording is prioritized and shown in the larger view. |
| Create clip (2) | Enables clip functionality on the video timeline. Use the sliding bar on the timeline to set a start and end for your clip. Then click Create clip. Clips are displayed beneath the video player. |
| Share (3) | Opens the share link modal where you can copy the recording’s link to easily share it with your colleagues. For more information, see Public share links. |
| Timeline (4) |
Shows your current position in the video. Click anywhere on the timeline to jump to that point in the recording. The timeline is segmented by study question so you can easily tell which question the participant is responding to throughout the recording. Timeline segments highlighted in green have associated click data. For more information, see View session click data. |
| Play/Pause (5) | Starts or stops the recording at its current playback position. |
| Playback speed (6) |
Slows down or speeds up video playback. You have the following options:
|
| Skip backward/forward (7) | Skips backward or forward ten seconds in the recording. |
| Settings (8) | Displays the option to enable or disable Subtitles. |
| Toggle full screen (9) | Enlarges the video display to fill your entire screen. To exit full screen, |
View session click data
Usability tests capture click events so you can clearly see when and where a participant clicks while completing the tasks you request of them. This can help you better understand user journeys through your products or webpages and identify areas for improvement or simplification.
To view click events for a session, open the Clicks tab to the right of the video player:
Here, you’ll see the exact timestamps for the participant’s clicks as well as what they clicked on (for example, a link or a button).
To learn about click data collected when testing Figma prototypes, see Analyze heat maps and click data in a usability test.
View AI notable moments
Dscout AI can help you identify key points in a usability test by highlighting notable moments. These include crucial decisions and comments made by your participants during their session, which offer a great starting point for analysis.
To view AI notable moments, open the Notable moments tab to the right of the video player:
For more information, see AI notable moments.
Export session recording
If you want to view or share a session recording outside of Dscout, you can export it. When exporting a session, you can choose whether you want to download the participant’s screen recording, their camera recording (if applicable), or both.
To export a session recording:
- Click the Export full session icon above the video player. An export modal is displayed.
- On the Recordings tab, select from the following options:
- Participant’s camera: Download only the participant’s camera recording. Only available if you selected to record participant cameras while building your study.
- Screenshare: Download only the participant’s screen recording.
-
Participant’s camera & screen: Download both the participant’s screen recording and camera recording. With this option, Dscout creates a single picture-in-picture video. To set which view is prioritized (larger) in the video, click Flip participant’s camera and screenshare. To set where the smaller view is placed in the video, click one of the four corners of the diagram.
- Click Download selected. A progress banner appears while your video is generated.
- Click Download here in the progress banner when prompted.
Now, the session recording is downloaded to your computer. You’ll find it wherever your computer stores browser downloads.
Export session transcripts and notes
In addition to downloading session recordings, you can also download session transcripts and notes. This is helpful if you want to share session details outside of Dscout.
To export session transcripts and notes:
- Click the Export full session icon above the video player. An export modal is displayed.
- On the Transcripts and notes tab, select from the following options:
- Transcript: Download the entire Dscout-generated transcript of the session. The resulting .csv file includes your study’s questions, the participant’s answers, and the time in the session those answers were provided.
- Entry notes: Download only the manual annotations that were added to a session. The resulting .csv file includes the entry’s date and time as well as any notes added to the session in Dscout.
- Click Generate beside your selection. A progress banner appears while your export is generated.
- Click Download selected (or Download here) when prompted.
Now, the selected file is downloaded to your computer. You’ll find it wherever your computer stores browser downloads.