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

Roles and permissions

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"
• 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 click Join Session:

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

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 the session stays open until the scheduled end time

Moderators have one additional option:

• Select Mark Session as Complete to end the call early if the conversation wraps up before the scheduled 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 Join Session button is disabled until a participant arrives

One participant present

• You'll see a "Session is ready to start" message
• Click Join Session to begin
• 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.

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

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.

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