Join an interview session

There are three possible roles you might have when joining an interview session: moderator, observer, or guest. The process for joining looks a little different for each, so refer to the sections below for more information.

Join a session as a moderator

Moderators run the interview sessions. They’re the people asking participants questions, keeping the conversation going, and getting to the root of what you’re trying to discover.

To join a session as a moderator:

1. Navigate to the Manage tab of your study.
2. Locate the participant whose session you want to join.
3. Click Start session in the participant’s row. The device setup page is displayed.
   
   
4. Complete the displayed hardware checks, resolving any permission issues as prompted.
5. Click Join session at the top of the page.
   
   

6. Click Start call to be connected to the participant and start the recording.
   
   

   Note: The Start call button will be disabled until the participant joins the call from their end.

Now, your session is in progress! You can leave the session at any time by clicking End session in the top right corner. When the moderator ends the session, the recording stops.

Join a session as an observer

Observers are colleagues of a session’s moderator who do not need to speak with the participant directly. These are people who want to listen in without the participant knowing they’re there.

To join a session as an observer:

1. Navigate to the Manage tab of your study.
2. Locate the participant whose session you want to join.
3. Click Observe session in the participant’s row. The device setup page is displayed.
   
   
4. Complete the displayed hardware checks, resolving any permission issues as prompted.
5. Click Join session at the top of the page.
   
   

Now, you’ve joined the session as an observer. When the moderator begins the call on their end, you’ll be able to watch and listen in without the participant knowing you’re there. You can leave the session at any time by clicking Exit session in the top right corner.

Join a session as a guest

Guests are people outside of the moderator’s Dscout account who may have an interest in the research being conducted, like an external stakeholder. They do not have access to Dscout themselves but can listen in on a session with limited functionality.

To join a session as a guest:

1. Open the link sent to you by the session’s moderator.
2. Enter the Password sent to you by the session’s moderator.
3. Click Continue.
   
   

4. Enter your First name and Last name.
   
   

   Note: Joining a session as a guest will not create a Dscout account.
5. Click Next.
6. The device setup page is displayed.
7. Complete the displayed hardware checks, resolving any permission issues as prompted.
8. Click Join session at the top of the page.
   
   

Now, you’ve joined the session as a guest. When the moderator begins the call on their end, you’ll be able to watch and listen in without the participant knowing you’re there. You can leave the session at any time by clicking Exit session in the top right corner.