Moderated session: Moderator experience

Learn the basic Moderator experience in a Moderated session.

This article applies to: uz logo tiny.png UserZoom

 

Plan Availability: All Plans
👥 User roles: Owner, Admins, and Researchers
For more information, see our article on how to find your plan and user role.

 

On this page:

 


 

About the Moderator experience

  • With UserZoom Moderated, it is simple to speak 1:1 with participants!
  • All you need as a Moderator is to be logged in to UserZoom Manager.
  • Only the Moderator has control over the whole session (admit or remove attendees, start/stop the recording, start the structured part of a study) and attendee's controls (mute/unmute, stop screen share or video, etc.).
  • Moderators can share their own screen, request the participant to share their screen, and send participants URLs to visit.
  • As a Moderator, you can take notes and use the chat to send messages to either the participant or collaborators.

 

 

Start the session

  1. Make sure the study is live.
  2. Click Start session in the Monitor tab. This opens a new tab in your browser where you select your role.
  3. Click Moderator.
  4. After checking setup, click on Join session.
  5. On the right, you will see:
    • Moderators or Notetakers in the session.
    • If the participant is doing the tech check.
    • If a participant is in the waiting room.

 

 

Admit participants to the session

  1. In the menu on the right, select Session.
  2. Check the status of your participant.
    • In the bottom right, see if they are in the waiting room or doing the tech check.
    • If they are not there yet, you will be notified when they arrive.
    • If participants are late, refer to Call late participants: Moderated sessions.
  3. When the participant is in the waiting room, in the drop-down under Test Participant, select the participant you want to admit.
  4. Click Start Session.
    • At this point, any Observers who were in the waiting room are admitted automatically.
    • Their microphone is not connected and they can only speak to the team (Moderators, Notetakers, and Observers) through the chat.

 

 

Record the session

  • By default, when the participant joins the session, recording turned is off.
  • When you're ready to start the session, click the red Start recording button.
  • Everyone hears this message, "This session is now being recorded".
  • Recording and screen sharing are independent of each other.
    • This allows you to turn off recording as needed. 
    • For example, if a participant is sharing sensitive information on their screen.

To pause the recording, stop and start as needed:

  1. In the menu on the right, select Session.
  2. Click Stop recording.
  3. When you're ready to resume, click Start recording.

 

 

Share screens

  • Click Request participant's screen:
    • Participants get a notification to share their screen
    • Remind participants to select the screen to share (even if there is only one screen) and then click Share Screen.
  • Click Share my screen:
      • Allows you to share your own screen.
      • Remember you are sharing your entire screen. If you have the chat window open, everyone in the session will be able to see it and everything else that is active on your screen.
      • When Moderators share their screen, they are unable to see the participant's video (camera).
  • To stop screen sharing (yours or the participants), click Stop Screensharing at the bottom of your browser window.
  • Next, share a link or start the study.

Pro Tip

For Structured Moderated sessions, ask participants to share their whole screen as opposed to just their browser window.

  • The Navigation window and Taskbar open in new windows.
  • For the moderator to be able to see everything, the participant has to share the entire screen.

 

Screen sharing on mobile devices

  • The participant's screen is shared on mobile devices as long as they stay in the UserZoom Live app.
    • If the participant leaves the UserZoom Live app (For example, to open another app), screen sharing stops.
    • A notification appears when this happens.
  • When a moderator shares their screen with a participant on mobile:
    • The Moderator can’t see the participant.
    • The participant can’t see the Moderator.

 

 

End the session

  1. Stop recording (see above for details).
  2. Select Session.
  3. Click on End session.
    • The participant is sent to the final thank you page.
    • Moderators, Notetakers, and Observers remain connected. 

 

 

Camera details

Screen sharing and camera view

  • Participant shares their screen: Their camera can be seen, but they can't see the moderator.
  • Moderator shares their screen: No cameras are seen, only the shared screen.

 

Camera view when participants leave the UserZoom Live app (iOS only)

  • During the session, if a participant leaves the UserZoom Live app, their mobile camera is no longer shown to the moderator.
  • This is an iOS limitation.

 

 

Session controls

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Label Session Chat Notes* Settings Help

*The notes option appears as soon as the recording is started.

 

 

FAQs

What happens if another participant tries to join an active session?

If a participant tries to join while another session is in progress, they will stay in the Waiting Room. They can be admitted to the session by the Moderator after the active session ends. 

 

Can I export scheduled sessions to an external calendar?

Yes. A .ics file is attached to the confirmation email for the session. If a session is modified in the scheduler, remember to reimport the .ics file or edit the external calendar manually.

 

Why can I not see the Moderators camera in the recording of the session?

This is by design. The moderator's camera doesn't appear in the recorded video for both desktop and mobile.

 

What if I miss a session?

You will be marked as a No Show after 15 minutes and will be charged.

 

 

How can I reconnect with a participant who drops during a session?

The original study link will no longer allow participants to access the study. To allow the participant to rejoin your session, follow these steps:

  1. Add a new segment.
  2. Send the participant a new study link.

 

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