Live Conversation: New experience - moderator, co-moderator, observer, and participant flows (beta)

On this page:

• Roles and permissions
• Joining as moderator or co-moderator
• Joining as an observer
• Participant flow
• Session timing and the 10 minute grace period
• Getting notified before your session ends

Roles and permissions

A note on button labels: moderators see Start session until the session is running, and Join session once it is. Co-moderators and participants always see Join session. This is the same for scheduled and instant sessions.

Joining a session as a moderator or co-moderator

1. Role selection
   After choosing Moderator or Co-Moderator, you’ll need to:

• Log in if you’re not already logged in 
• Click Continue to proceed

2. Name entry page
   On the name entry page, you’ll need to:

• Enter your display name, this is how you'll appear to the participant in Zoom
• Optionally turn on "Save name for next session"
• Set up your session-ending notification using the Notifications card. See "Getting notified before your session ends" below.
• Review your session details on the right, including:
  • Date and time
  • Duration
  • Participant recruitment details
• For unscheduled sessions, you'll see a simplified "Unscheduled Lobby" label instead.
• When you're ready, select Continue.

3. Scheduled session lobby experience
   Countdown to start
   While waiting for the session to begin, you’ll see:

• A countdown banner showing time until the scheduled start
• The Start Session button, which stays disabled until the scheduled start time

           This ensures everyone has time to join before the session begins.

If the participant hasn't joined by the scheduled start time:

1. You'll see a message prompting you to wait up to 10 minutes
2. A countdown shows the remaining wait time
3. After 10 minutes, a Missed Session modal appears
4. You'll be notified if the session is cancelled and a new participant can be sourced
5. After closing the modal, you'll either see:
   1. Your next upcoming scheduled session in the right panel, or
   2. An empty lobby if no other sessions are scheduled

If the participant arrives on time

Once the participant is in the lobby:

1. You'll see an "It's time for your session" message
2. Once both you and the participant are in the lobby:
   1. The Start session button unlocks for the moderator
   2. The Join session button unlocks for the participant

Co-moderators wait for the moderator to start the call before they can join.

4. Starting the session
   When you select Start session:

• A new browser tab opens
• Zoom launches automatically
• Choose whether to join via your browser or the Zoom desktop app

Your session duration begins once both you and the participant are in the Zoom call, not at the scheduled start time.

5. Re-joining and completing a session
   If you or a participant leaves Zoom, for example, to update camera or microphone permissions:

• The lobby automatically updates
• A Rejoin Session button appears if the call is still active
• You'll see a message confirming how long the session stays open. The call remains open for the booked duration plus the 10 minute grace period, measured from when the call started.

Moderators have one additional option:

• Select Mark Session as Complete to end the call early if the conversation wraps up before the session's end time

Moderator lobby (Instant sessions)

When you arrive in the Instant lobby, what you see depends on whether participants have joined.

No participants present

• You'll see a "Waiting for a participant" message.
• The Start session button is disabled until a participant arrives.

One participant present

• You'll see a "Session is ready to start" message.
• Click Start session to begin. Your session duration starts from this point.
• The session details will appear in the right panel.

Multiple participants present

When more than one participant is in the lobby, a participant selector appears so you can choose who to session with.

A few things to know about how selection works:

• The first participant to arrive is automatically selected
• If that participant leaves, the next earliest arrival is automatically selected
• You can manually select a different participant at any time
• Co-moderators and observers will see your selection update instantly

When an Instant session participant arrives during a scheduled session

If an Instant participant joins while you're in a scheduled lobby, a modal appears letting you know and giving you two options:

• Switch to the Instant lobby to session with the new participant, or
• Stay in the scheduled lobby to wait for your scheduled participant

Note: If the Instant session duration would overlap with your upcoming scheduled session, you'll see an additional warning in the modal. Bear in mind that an Instant session can run up to its booked duration plus the 10 minute grace period.

If you stay in the scheduled lobby

A button remains available to switch to the Instant lobby at any time while the participant is still waiting.

If you switch to the Instant lobby

If a scheduled session is coming up within the current Instant session's duration, you'll see a button allowing you to switch back to the scheduled lobby when you're ready.

Joining as an observer

Observers don't need to log in, making it easy to share the session link with anyone who needs to watch.

 Note: Observers cannot be seen; they won't be able to interact or chat with participants and teammates. 
 

Observer flow

1. Role section
   Observers don't need to log in to join a session. Anyone in your company can watch without a UserTesting account.
   
2. Email entry
   If you're not logged in to a UserTesting account, you'll be prompted to enter your email address before joining. If you're already logged in, this step is skipped automatically.
   
3. Watching a session
   Observers watch a live stream of the session; you won't join the Zoom call directly. The stream starts and stops automatically, so there's nothing to set up or manage.

Participant flow

1. Welcome steps

After clicking their session link, participants move through a short welcome sequence:

1. Welcome screen
2. Participants must review and sign the Confidentiality agreement before continuing

2. Name entry

Participants enter their display name before joining the lobby. They can also turn on "Save name for future sessions" to skip this step next time. Session details, including the date, time, and moderator information, are visible on the right.

3. Lobby experience

Scheduled sessions

• Participants who arrive more than 10 minutes early will see a "Session hasn't opened yet" page until the lobby is ready
• Once in the lobby, a countdown shows the time until the session starts
• Participants can't join the Zoom call until the moderator starts the session

If the moderator is late

If the moderator hasn't started the session by the scheduled time:

• The participant sees a "please wait" message with a 10-minute countdown
• UserTesting panel participants must wait the full 10 minutes to be eligible for their incentive
• If no moderator appears after 10 minutes:
  • The participant is redirected to a "Moderator did not attend" page
  • UserTesting panel participants receive compensation automatically
  • Invite network participants do not receive compensation

If the participant is late

If a participant opens their session link after the scheduled time has passed, they'll see a "Session has passed" page. No compensation is provided in this case.

4. Joining Zoom

Once the moderator starts the session, a Join session button appears. 

Clicking it opens Zoom in a new browser tab. Participants can choose to join via:

• Browser
• Desktop app
• Mobile app

Attendance is recorded when the participant joins the Zoom call. Waiting in the lobby is a separate step and is not recorded as attending the session.

5. Rejoining a session

If a participant needs to adjust their camera or microphone permissions, or drops from the call unexpectedly, the lobby updates automatically to show a Rejoin session button. Participants can click it at any time to return to the Zoom call while the session is still active.

The session stays open for the booked duration plus a 10 minute grace period, measured from when the call started.
 

Session timing and the 10 minute grace period

Your session time starts when the call starts

The session duration begins when the call actually starts, not at the scheduled start time.

• For scheduled sessions, the countdown begins once both you and the participant are in the Zoom call. If the call starts a few minutes late, you still get your full booked duration. The scheduled start time only controls when the Start session button unlocks, and it is what the 10 minute running-late allowance is measured against.
• For Instant (unscheduled) sessions, the countdown begins when the moderator starts the call.

Every call has a 10 minute grace period

Live Conversation calls stay open for the booked duration plus an extra 10 minutes, so you have room to close the conversation naturally instead of the call ending mid-sentence. This applies to all durations, on both scheduled and Instant sessions.
 

For example, this is a 30 minute session where the call starts at 2:04pm:

A few things to know:

• The grace period is a buffer for wrapping up, not extra booked time. If you have back-to-back sessions, plan to leave the call before the buffer runs out.
• You are charged for the actual length of the call, so time spent in the buffer is billable.
• Panel participants are not paid extra for time spent in the grace period.
• You can end the call at any point using Mark Session as Complete.

Seeing how much time is left

Once the call is in progress, the session panel shows "In progress" along with the minutes remaining. This is visible to moderators, co-moderators, and participants.

Before the call starts, the panel shows the scheduled session details instead. This is true even if the scheduled start time has already passed, because the clock has not started until the call has.

Getting notified before the session ends

Moderators and co-moderators can receive a browser notification when 5 minutes of the booked session time remain, so you can start wrapping up without watching the clock. After that notification you have those 5 minutes plus the 10 minute grace period.

Supported browsers: Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox, on Windows and macOS.

Note: Keep the UserTesting tab open. The reminder is sent from the UserTesting lobby tab, so leave that tab open alongside your Zoom call. If you close it, the notification will not reach you.
 

Turning notifications on

On the name entry page you'll see a Notifications card below the session details. What it offers depends on your current browser setting:

• You haven't chosen yet. Select the button on the card to bring up your browser's permission prompt, then choose Allow. You'll see a confirmation once notifications are enabled.
• Notifications are already allowed. Expand the card and select Test notification to confirm a notification actually reaches you. This is worth doing once, because your operating system can still hold notifications back even when the browser permission is granted.
• You previously blocked notifications. Browsers won't let us ask a second time once you've blocked a site. Use the "How to turn notifications on" link on the card, then follow the two steps below.

Step 1: Allow notifications in your browser

The steps differ slightly by browser.
 

Chrome

1. Select the icon to the left of the address bar. This is a padlock, or a sliders icon on newer versions.
2. Select Site settings.
3. Set Notifications to Allow.
4. Reload the UserTesting tab.

Microsoft Edge

1. Select the padlock icon to the left of the address bar.
2. Select Permissions for this site.
3. Set Notifications to Allow.
4. Reload the UserTesting tab.

Safari

1. Go to Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications.
2. Find the UserTesting entry and set it to Allow.
3. Reload the UserTesting tab.

Firefox

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll to Permissions and select Settings next to Notifications.
3. Find the UserTesting entry, set Status to Allow, then select Save Changes.
4. Reload the UserTesting tab.

Step 2: Allow notifications in your operating system

Even with the browser permission granted, your computer can suppress notifications. Check these settings once and you're set for every future session.

Windows

1. Open Settings > System > Notifications. On Windows 10 this is Settings > System > Notifications & actions.
2. Make sure notifications are turned on.
3. Find your browser in the app list and make sure it is turned on.
4. Select your browser in that list and confirm notification banners are enabled.
5. Turn off Do not disturb, or Focus assist on Windows 10, while you moderate. Also check that no automatic rule is silencing notifications during your session times.

macOS

1. Open System Settings > Notifications. On Monterey and earlier this is System Preferences > Notifications & Focus.
2. Find your browser in the application list and select it.
3. Turn on Allow notifications, and set the alert style to Banners or Alerts.
4. Open Control Centre and check that Do Not Disturb and any Focus mode are turned off.
5. In System Settings > Notifications, turn on Allow notifications when mirroring or sharing the display. Without this, macOS holds notifications back during screen sharing, which covers most moderated sessions.

If the notification still doesn't arrive

• Check that the UserTesting lobby tab is still open.
• Check that you're using a supported browser.
• Use Test notification on the Notifications card before your session starts, rather than finding out mid-session.
• If you're on a company-managed device, a device policy may be blocking browser notifications. Your IT team can confirm.

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