Live Mobile FAQs for Researchers
Live Mobile allows you to conduct remote moderated, one-on-one interviews with participants on their mobile phones. As the researcher, you may find yourself needing resources to troubleshoot issues in real time or wanting more information about the nitty gritty details of Live Mobile. Here are some frequently asked questions and tips about this feature:
Setup
Q: What file types are supported in Live Mobile stimuli?
A: Live Mobile stimuli boards can house media files (JPG, PNG, and MP4) as well as URLs (including websites and invision and figma prototypes). They cannot house PDF, MOV, or PPT files.
Tip: Avoid uploading Drive or Dropbox folder links as stim, or using long prototype flows with fields that must be manually-entered by the scout. Instead, upload each file directly to a stim board and break longer prototype flows into multiple links in multiple stim boards.
Q: Am I able to over-recruit for a Live Mobile mission?
A: Yes, though we recommend providing enough time slots for all invited scouts. You can read more about this in our Scout Experience Standards. It's good to note as well that over-recruiting from the start isn't always necessary; if you have one or a few unresponsive scouts, you can always close them out of the mission and invite new scouts in their place—even after you've launched your mission.
Tip: Be sure to include a line in your mission’s instructions stating that time slots are on a first come, first serve basis so scouts should be sure to schedule themselves ASAP.
Q: Can I have observers on a Live Mobile session?
A: Yes! Anyone who is added as a collaborator on your project can observe any of your Live Mobile sessions.
Tip: If possible, connect your computer to ethernet during Live Mobile sessions and instruct your observers to do the same. If you’re sharing longer prototypes or larger stim files, if possible, reduce the number of observers you have on the call to preserve bandwidth.
Q: Can I share my screen with a scout in a Live Mobile session?
A: No, Live Mobile does not support this capability.
Tip: If you need to share your screen with a scout, consider running a Desktop Live session.
Q: Can I test a long, complex prototype flow on Live Mobile?
A: Consider splitting your longer prototype flow into shorter steps in separate links in separate stimuli boards to preserve bandwidth.
Tip: If that’s not an option, send the link to your longer flow to the scout before your session via chat in the Manage page and instruct them to open it in their browser.
Q: Can I message participants during my Live Mobile session?
A: No, Live Mobile does not support this capability.
Tip: Communicate with scouts before and/or after your session via the chat function on the Manage page.
Q: Why can I see my scout’s face in only some of my scout screenshare exports?
A: The scout camera will only export alongside the screenshare when a scout is prompted to share their screen via a stimuli board that you’ve shared. If the scout is recording their screen and leaves the dscout app to open another app that you send them, (externally or via mission messages), you will only see the scout's screen and not their face in your export.
Tip: Reach out to your research advisor or one of your teammates to test these two options to find the best fit for your stimuli and project!
Troubleshooting
Q: My scout has told me that the screenshare button is grayed out. What should I do?
A: This is likely due to poor connectivity. Instruct the scout to move to an area with stronger WiFi or cellular data connection.
Tip: Before your session, ensure that both you and the scout (and any observers) can be in an area with strong WiFi or cellular data connection.
Q: Something funky is going on while I’m sharing a stimuli board with a scout. What can I do?
A: Click the “End Stimshare” button on your screen and then reshare the stim.
Tip: If possible, break longer prototype flows into shorter steps in separate links in separate stim boards so that they’re easier to pop back into in situations like these!
Q: The scout and I are experiencing technical difficulties in our Live Mobile session. Help!
A: If the scout is sharing their screen or interacting with stim, instruct them to stop doing so. Next, instruct the scout to tap the red “End” button and rejoin. Then, refresh your page and rejoin the session as well. Do NOT end the session on your end or close the scout.
Tip: The scout MUST end sharing their screen before leaving and rejoining the call.
Q: I’m in a Live mobile session and I need technical support. Who can I reach out to?
A: If you’ve followed the above troubleshooting steps and are still experiencing issues, click the “?” in the top right corner of your screen during standard business operation (9am - 5pm CT, Monday - Friday) to chat with a member of our Support team.
Tip: Before creating your Live mobile mission, reach out to your research advisor, account manager, or sales rep to schedule a demo to make sure you’re prepared when the time comes to run your sessions.