This help article will walk you through the steps of joining a session as an observer as well as some tips and best practices for Observers
Table of Contents
Preparing to Observe a Live Session
Make sure you:
Have a desktop/laptop available
Use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge - no extensions or other software required
Check you have a strong Wifi Connection
Find the Observer Lobby link that the moderator sent for you to join the session. It'll look like this:
https://lookback.io/lobby/X5dJza
Joining a Lookback session with the Observer Lobby
🚀 As an Observer, you'll be able to see and hear the participants & moderator and you'll be able to text chat (no audio) with the moderator and other observers. However, the participants won't see you as you're “behind the glass” in the virtual Observer Room.
How you join the Observer Lobby will depend on how it's been configured, and whether or not you have a user account and are logged in to Lookback
Jump to:
Scenario 1: You do not have a Lookback user account and have been invited to observe a session as a guest, OR you prefer not to use your Lookback user account
Scenario 2: You have a user account with any Lookback organisation and you are already logged in to Lookback
Scenario 3: You have a Lookback user account for your Lookback organisation but are not logged in
Scenario 1: You do not have a Lookback user account and have been invited to observe a session as a guest OR you prefer not to use your Lookback user account
If you've been invited to observe a Lookback session using our Observer Lobby but you do not have a Lookback user account or you'd prefer join the session without logging in, you can still access the Observer Lobby as a guest.
After opening the Observer Lobby link, click on the I'm ready button
The Guest tab should be selected by default. Simply enter your name and email address, then click View Sessions
🚀 If you enter an email address that is associated with a Lookback user account, you'll be given the option to log in instead. If you'd prefer to continue as a guest, click Continue as guest
Now you'll enter the Observer Lobby where you can join a session.
To join a live session in progress, click the Join button to the right of the session name
To review a past session that's already been completed, click on the name of the session on the left
Scenario 2: You have a user account with any Lookback organisation and you are already logged in to Lookback.
If you're already logged into Lookback when you open the Observer Lobby link, you will automatically be taken to the Lobby, where you will see any sessions that are currently in progress along with any sessions that have been completed.
To join a live session that's currently in progress, click the Join button to the right of the session name
To review a past session that's already been completed, just click on the name of the session on the left
Scenario 3: You have a Lookback user account for your Lookback organisation but are not logged in
If you're not yet logged into Lookback when you open the Observer Lobby link, you will be prompted to do so now.
After opening the Observer Lobby link, click on the I'm ready button
Click on Log in
Enter your email and password & click the Log in button on the bottom (or click on Use Single Sign-On if your organization uses SSO)
You'll be taken to the Observer Lobby and can now join a session!
To join a live session in progress, click the Join button to the right of the session name
To review a past session that's already been completed, click on the name of the session on the left
Chatting, Taking Notes, and Creating Findings
Chat
This is your virtual Observer Room where those observing the session can spark conversations among themselves, outside the note taking process. The whole team can view the chat later along with the full-length recording, but these messages won't show up on the participant's screen or on the timeline. So chat away!
🚀 If you have a Lookback user account for the organisation conducting the research, you can @mention team-members in a Chat or Note to draw their attention during the session and also trigger an email with a link to view post session.
Notes
Your moderator will indicate whether they need help taking notes. Notes can be used to capture quotes, insights, @mention team members to join or however the Moderator prefers. When in doubt, reach out and ask them! All notes are saved with a timestamp, so you'll be able to easily find the moment in the session where you added the Note, when you watch the full-length recording.
🚀 If you need some ideas for taking notes during the session, check out our blog article - The Art of Note Taking
Findings
You can create short video snippets to use as an individual asset or to send to stakeholders in reports or deliverables. To create a Finding during a session, just make a 'Note' and then click the 💡 light bulb icon to convert the Note into a Finding. You can edit the length of the Finding later while you're reviewing the session. To learn more about creating findings, please see this help article.
🚀 Too much happening in your Session Feed? Turn on Focus Mode or
apply filters to show only the content that is important to you.
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