Lookback is a qualitative research platform that helps teams understand the why behind user behavior.
It supports moderated, unmoderated, and AI-assisted research, with a strong focus on video evidence, stakeholder collaboration, and human judgment. Lookback is used by solo researchers, agencies, and some of the world’s most mature research organizations.
WHEN TO READ THIS
Read this article if you are:
• new to Lookback and want to understand what it is built for
• familiar with qualitative UX research but new to Lookback’s approach
• trying to understand how Lookback differs from video conferencing tools or survey platforms
WHAT LOOKBACK IS BUILT TO DO
Lookback is designed to support qualitative research workflows end to end.
It helps teams:
• capture rich, contextual user behavior through screen, voice, and video
• involve stakeholders early and collaboratively
• work with large volumes of qualitative material
• turn raw sessions into shareable evidence without losing context
Rather than optimizing for speed or automation alone, Lookback is designed to keep researchers close to the raw material while reducing unnecessary friction.
LOOKBACK AND AI
Lookback is all-in on AI, with a very explicit strategy.
AI in Lookback is used to:
• help moderating research
• help researchers navigate and explore large amounts of video
• surface relevant moments and patterns
• support sense-making and synthesis
AI is not used to replace researchers or to automate conclusions. Researchers remain responsible for interpretation, judgment, and decision-making.
A useful analogy is the digital camera: it made photography more accessible to everyone, while also making professional photographers more effective. Lookback’s AI follows the same principle - it lowers barriers without removing expertise from the loop.
WHO LOOKBACK IS FOR
Lookback is used by a wide range of teams, including:
• individual researchers and designers running studies on their own
• agencies working with clients and external stakeholders
• product teams building research practices from scratch
• large organizations with mature research operations
You do not need a fully established research practice to get value from Lookback. At the same time, the platform is designed to scale with more advanced workflows and larger teams.
HOW RESEARCH IS ORGANIZED IN LOOKBACK
Research in Lookback is organized into:
Projects
Projects represent a product, feature area, or initiative.
Rounds
Rounds are used to run different methods, test variants, work with different participant segments, or conduct iterative studies over time. All within one Project.
All findings live at the Project level, which makes it easy to work across methods and iterations without losing continuity.
WHAT TO READ NEXT
• Research Methods in Lookback – to understand moderated, unmoderated, and AI-assisted research
• Setting Up a Study – if you are ready to start running research
• Working With Stakeholders in Qualitative Research – if impact and collaboration matter to you