Moderated Studies in FC Qual let you conduct live usability sessions to watch participants interact with your product, ask questions in real time, and capture both qualitative and quantitative data.

You can host 1:1 interviews or group discussions, invite observers to watch and take notes without interrupting, and receive recordings, transcripts, and AI-generated summaries for faster analysis.

When to Use a Moderated Study

Moderated studies are best when you need:

• Real-time feedback during task execution.
• Clarification on user behavior or decisions.
• Observation of complex workflows that may require live guidance.
• Collaborative observation, allowing other stakeholders to watch and note insights.

Start a New Study

1. From the Studies dashboard, click Create New Study.
2. In the Create a New Study modal, select Moderated.
   
3. Click Continue.
4. Enter a Study Name and optional Description.
   
5. Select the Interview Type:
   • One-on-One for individual interviews.
   • Focus Group for group discussions.
6. Select the Total Interviews for this study from the drop-down.

   • Each New Moderated Study is limited to a maximum of 50 interviews, which can be selected from the study setup dropdown.

7. Enter the study description. This text provides context for the AI system (if used) to generate summaries.
8. Click Next.
9. Choose the Session Mode:
   • Schedule Participants—Planned for a future date and time.
   • Instant Session—Starts immediately.

Note: Each individual session can include up to 17 participants total, including the moderator and support team members. The 17-participant limit is a system-level background cap and is not configurable by the moderator during set up. There is currently no limit on the number of observers who can join a session.

Scheduling Workflows

IDI Scheduled Sessions

When scheduling a one-on-one session, enter the following details:

• Interview Title
• Date, Time Zone, Start Time, and End Time
• Interview Language (for transcription accuracy)
• Moderator (researchers) selection
• Participant Name and Email
• Optional Note for Participant

Focus Group Scheduled Sessions

Focus group sessions follow the same structure as one-on-one sessions but allow multiple participants. Enter the following details:

• Interview Title
• Date, Time Zone, Start Time, and End Time
• Interview Language
• Moderator selection
• Multiple Participant Names and Emails
• Optional Note for Participants

Email Notifications

After scheduling, system-generated emails are sent to:

• Participants
  
• Moderators
  
• Support team

Each email includes the session date, time, time zone, moderator, and access instructions.

Calendar Integration

All session emails include a .ics calendar file. Participants can:

1. Download the attached invite.ics
2. Open the file to add the session to their personal calendar

Calendar (.ics) files are sent manually and must be opened by recipients to appear in their calendar tool.

Instant Sessions

Instant Sessions allow researchers to start a call immediately, without scheduling.

Once selected, the platform:

• Automatically creates a new session.
• Prompts the moderator to select a transcription Language.
• Empowers the moderator to Invite Participants and Invite Observers from within the session interface.

Instant sessions are ideal for ad hoc interviews.

Managing Scheduled Sessions

Moderators can take the following actions from the session dashboard:

• Reschedule a session
• Cancel a session
• Change the assigned moderator

Any changes automatically trigger updated email notifications to all stakeholders.

Access and Permissions

• Only moderators (with editor-level permissions or higher) can reschedule, cancel, or reassign moderators.
• Email notifications are unique to each role (participant, moderator, observer, support).
• Moderator and support emails include join links and participant details.

Launch the Study

1. From your study's Summary tab, click Start Session.
   
2. Choose your role:
   • Join as Moderator:
     • Engage with participants directly.
     • Take notes in-session.
     • Chat privately with observers.
   • Join as Observer:
     • Watch the session without interacting.
     • Take time-stamped notes.
     • Chat privately with the moderator.

Configure Your Setup

Before joining:

1. Select your Camera, Microphone, and Speaker from the dropdown menus.
   
2. Toggle Video and Microphone on or off as needed.
   
3. Check your video preview and audio level indicators.
4. Click Join Now.

Conduct the Session

Moderator Responsibilities

• Greet participants and explain the session format.
• Share task prompts verbally or via chat.
• Encourage think-aloud responses.
• Follow up with clarifying questions.
• Share your screen if necessary.
• Start and stop recording as needed.

Observer Responsibilities

• Watch silently without participant awareness.
• Take detailed, time-stamped notes.
• Use private chat to coordinate with the moderator.

End and Save the Session

1. Click the red End Call button when finished.
2. If you recorded the session:
   • The video, audio, and screen share will be saved.
   • An automatic transcript will be generated.
   • AI will produce a session summary.

Best Practices

• Pilot your session internally to confirm settings and flow.
• Limit sessions to 3–5 key tasks to reduce fatigue.
• Use neutral, non-leading prompts.
• Tag moments as they happen for faster analysis later.
• Coordinate with observers via private chat instead of interrupting the participant.

FAQ