Screen sharing is an important part of remote usability testing. In some scenarios, you might want to test a low-fidelity prototype or a confidential website – something that can't be shared publicly and/or something you need to control the access to – without actually letting the participant interact with it.
To allow the moderator to have full control of the content in situations like this, they can share their screen with the participant when doing an Interview or LiveShare session.
🚀 While the participant will be able to see your screen, it is not currently possible to give them control of your computer to let them interact with anything on your screen; you will have to control the keyboard/mouse on their behalf
Before you Start
Remember to close/disable any windows, apps or notifications that you don't want your participant to see during the session
Start moderating your LiveShare or Interview session as you normally would.
Sharing your screen
Click the Screen icon at the lower end in the player (see below)
Choose from 3 ways to share your screen. Based on your project, you have the following options on how to share your screen with the participant:
Your entire screen: Click on the image/thumbnail of the screen you'd like to share and then click Share. If you have 2 screens, make sure to choose the appropriate one.
While sharing your entire screen, you'll see a banner at the bottom like this:
An application window: This option allows you to share one specific application window and gives you the possibility to resize the window to optimize for the device your participant is using. This is particularly helpful if your participant is viewing your screen on a mobile device. With this option, the participant can at least flip the mobile to better match the typical landscape mode of a desktop screen. To proceed, just choose the App window you'd like to share and then click Share.
Chrome tab: Just choose the Chrome Tab you'd like to share and then click 'Share'.
Meanwhile on the participant's side ...
On Desktop:
Extension-free beta: your screen will show up in place where your camera feed is - the upper-right corner. They will be prompted to click to expand it.
Chrome/Edge Extension: Your screen will show up immediately in the Participant's Chrome window, as soon as you start sharing
On iOS and Android: Be sure your participant has the Participate App open and in-view. Your screen will automatically be shown.
To stop sharing your screen
At any point during the remote LiveShare you can decide to stop sharing your screen with the participant, one of two ways:
Click the same Screen icon you clicked on to share your screen to stop sharing it
Click the Stop Sharing button on the banner notification that should be visible at the bottom of the screen (unless you've moved it)
Remember to end the session
Once you're done testing, remember to end your session as you normally would - by clicking End Session. The participant can also end the session at their end.