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How is Lookback different from traditional video conferencing tools?
How is Lookback different from traditional video conferencing tools?

like Zoom, Google Meet/Hangouts, Skype or GoToMeeting

Russ Troester avatar
Written by Russ Troester
Updated over a week ago

We know it can take some effort to make a case and get budget approval for new tools. However, the feedback of when our customers simplify the tools in their research process is overwhelmingly positive. 


“I like that research is consolidated all in one area. And Lookback is that reliable tool, all in the cloud, all in one place.” - UX Researcher Juan Atachagua. 


Here are some advantages of using a dedicated research platform for research. While the first four mainly apply to the people conducting the research, there are ancillary benefits for teams that user testing supports, below.

Virtual waiting room

You don’t have to worry about someone joining a new session early while one is still in progress. With Lookback, there’s only one participant on one call at a time. The same URL still routes any future participants to be held in their own, specific “waiting room” to be invited to the session when the moderator is ready to begin.

No more asking “can someone please mute?”

Lookback creates a “virtual observation room” where your team can collaborate and ask questions without interrupting the session. No more background noise of a microphoned room or an unknowingly noisy colleague.

Other tools ping or alert when others join, while Lookback created the “behind the glass” lab-style experience, for anywhere participants and observing stakeholders are located in the world.

One Participant Link for all

With traditional meeting tools, you have to be careful who you send your meeting links to. If you accidentally send the same link to multiple participants, it could create an awkward situation where they end up in the same session together.

With Lookback, you only need one Participant Link for all of your participants, no matter how many will be in your study. Even if they were all to click on the link at the exact same , it's not possible for them to end up in the same session together; a separate session would be created for each participant, all from the same link!

All-in-one

You get a full picture of the user’s screen, their screen gestures and facial and verbal reactions simultaneously. It takes some serious hacking and splicing to get all four visual and audio components otherwise.

UXR principles

Our participant experience is meant for user testing, and was built with UXR guiding principles. Our Participate app has minimal “branding” that might confuse the user. We also adhere to native and web accessibility standards and accessibility readers can generally be used.

Research Operations + Leadership 

You can link to NDAs and get consent from the test plan. Lookback automatically asks the user for permission to record each session, (screen, camera and audio) and does so. Researchers don’t have to remember to record the session, or worry that the entire session isn’t recorded.

Knowledge management 

The resulting session and all of the supporting insights (highlights, notes and chat) are nested together and stored securely in one place, so that one platform can be the reference point for all teams who need access to the insights.

This means you don’t have to use multiple tools and hyperlinks to various places where your work is stored. There are no “hard copy” versioning issues, just send stakeholders one link to see the latest work.

Product + Design teams 

Iterative process 

Our Rounds workflow is in lockstep with the product development life cycle. Anyone can conduct research on a single topic, including multiple iterations, and all the video content and notes are saved in one place.

Mobile testing is unparalleled

We were designed for reliable and simple mobile app testing.


“Taking a ‘mobile-first’ approach to product design, we found Lookback to be the best tool for conducting and sharing user research. It is truly amazing how seamlessly it blends remote and in-person, moderated and unmoderated setups and different platforms. And the recent addition of Rounds takes this experience to a whole new level.”  - Klarna


Don’t have a researcher? That’s OK!

Lookback has hundreds of customers where their organizations don’t currently have active research departments. We have designers, product managers and support teams that utilize Lookback to get usability feedback from their customers. Lookback isn’t just for the trained researcher, it’s intuitive for anyone that is interested in user testing or feedback.

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