Live by FC is a quantitative research tool that allows researchers and moderators to schedule, share, and host IDI or focus group sessions on a centralized platform for participants. Live provides access to transcripts, recordings, data, and more for a streamlined experience.

Live consists of three views: the moderator landing page, the observer landing page, and the participant landing page, and all meet through the session app.

The Moderator/Manager can access the interview creation and management portal. The portal is used for creating, starting, conducting, and exporting sessions. You can access the portal at https://account.fuelcycleignition.com/live/interviews.

Moderators can stay logged in indefinitely if they check "Remember Me" upon logging in. Even if they don't check "Remember Me", the session lasts 3 months.
A session observer can access the session using the same portal that moderators use.
The participant can access the session using the session link provided in the reminder emails. Each interview link is unique which means a participant will see all the session slots available for an interview. The participant can also join from any web browser by visiting https://participant.fuelcycleignition.com/. The participant can also download a mobile app from the Apple or Play stores to manage and join their sessions.
The session app is where moderators and participants meet over a video call. It can be accessed via web or mobile and the link to start or join a session is found through the first 2 scheduling apps.

Participants and moderators can only join one session at a time.

Recommended Web Browsers

Please make sure you are using one of these browsers and that your browser is up to date:

Google Chrome version 103+ (update instructions here).
Safari version 14+ (update instructions here).
Microsoft Edge version 103+ (update instructions here).

Recommended Mobile Device Operating System Versions

Please refer to your phone manufacturer for instructions on updating your phone's operating system.

Android: version 5.0+
iOS: version 12.0+

Moderator Process

Create an Interview
Share an Interview
Start the Interview
Observer Access
Session Functions
Participant Screen Sharing
End a Session

Create an Interview

From the home dashboard, click on +New Interview on the top right-hand side.
From there, choose either a “one-on-one (IDI)" or “focus group" for the Interview Type.
You may require participants to RSVP by selecting the Yes button. When No is selected, this is an open session where anyone with the link may join.

If a participant clicks a link that doesn't require RSVP, you won’t have to verify your email nor will you get any email notifications. Access those sessions that don't require RSVP via the web, not the mobile app.

Participants that arrive earlier than one hour before the session will see a warning to come back within one hour of the appointed time.
Click the arrow pointing to the right to continue.
In the What Research is this? section, configure the following items for your interview:
- Interview Title: This is the first thing participants will see and is the purpose of the interview
- Description: This area should describe the purpose of the interview and what they can expect.
- Session End Title: This is what participants will see upon the conclusion of your interview. This is an area for you to thank participants for their time.
- Interview Full: What attendees will see when managers or moderators “lock a room,” meaning no new participants can enter, or when the max number of participants in a session has been reached. This will be the title and description for those who are unable to join anymore. You can let them know they need to reschedule or that they are no longer needed.
- Interview Link Name: Customizable hyperlink that is related to the type of research.
- Event Card Color: Used for personal or organizational preferences.

In the next section, set up your interview schedule. The Session Duration area is a place for you to select how long you plan to have your focus group or IDI. The session duration will apply to all sessions in the interview.

Select the date.
Assign the moderator.
When you Allow Late RSVP, participants can access the session (even after the session starts) until the session ends. They must still RSVP before the start of the session.

This option will not display if no RSVP is required for the session.
Select Add Session to officially add the time slot. You can add more time slots later using the Edit feature on the home screen.
Add up to 40 participants to your panel. Select the number of participants, managers (or moderators), and observers you plan to have in your focus group; the total should add up to 40 or less.

Share an Interview

To share an interview with participants, you can copy the link in the bottom right corner of the session that you wish to share. You can also find this link at the end of your interview setup.

This link can be shared through any medium, such as email or text message. Moderators and observers must log in to the portal to access the session.

Start the Interview

A moderator can start a session up to 10 minutes before the assigned time. To start a session, moderators click the “Join” button under the “Schedule Sessions” tab.

Moderators will then be directed to a testing page to test the audio and camera. Once the testing is complete, the moderator can click the “Start Session” button at the bottom of the page. Participants will not be able to join the interview before you start the session.

Observer Access

To provide observers access, select the profile on the top right corner of the screen. Once selected, click “Account Settings.”

To invite an observer, select the “User Management” tab and click “Invite New Manager” on the right side of the screen.

Enter the email you wish to invite, and select their role: Admin or Researcher. The “Send Invite” button will be greyed out until the email is entered.

After sending the invite, you will be able to see who you have invited in the “Invitees” tab, which is also located under the “User Management” tab. You can also resend the invitation if needed.

Session Functions

Left Side of Computer Screen	Legend
	People in session Chat Notes Participant view: Grid or speaker view Lock Room Share Screen Off/On Video Mute/Unmute mic End/Cancel Session Leave Session Live session information

Right Side of Computer Screen

Legend

Session in progress—the amount of time since the first participant entered the session.
Account Balance—Amount of hours and minutes left in purchased time.
Mute all—mute everyone in the room. Moderators can unmute whenever they want but participants must be granted permission to unmute.
Red mute button—mute an individual participant or request unmute.
Red video button—turn off the camera of an individual participant or request to turn on their camera.

Participant Screen Sharing

In an IDI, a participant can screen share. They will first request to screen share from their side and once the moderator grants access, they can proceed to screen share. The moderator can at any time, cancel the participant’s screen share.

End a Session

After the session is over, moderators have two options when clicking the End/Cancel Session button: cancel the session or end the session.

Canceling a session will NOT save the video recording, and the participant can join another session in the project. Canceling a session is recommended if the participant is not able to complete this session and would like to participate at another time.

Ending a session will end for all participants. You CAN NOT reopen the session. Once ended, the video will be processed and available for review in the Completed Sessions tab.

Interviews are ordered based on the completion date. When exporting a session, you can export notes (only the ones you took as each person’s notes are private), participant information, and a transcript of the session. A transcript is “Not Available” if the session duration is 0 minutes. Participant information is exported into an Excel spreadsheet in the following categories: Participant name, Participant Last name, Alias name, email, date/time, and device (iOS, Android, Desktop).

If you see the transcript is not available, give it a bit more time! Long sessions may take a couple of hours to generate a transcript.

Observer Process

Join an Interview

To observe an interview, the observer must first create an account. The observer should receive a link in their email from the moderator. The link will expire after 24 hours so observers need to immediately act when they receive it or reach out to your moderator for a new one.

After clicking the link, observers will create a portal account to gain access to interviews. After setting up their account, observers will receive a verification email.

Observers can view the session by logging into the same portal that moderators use. Observers click the Join button under the Schedule Sessions tab. Please note that when a user joins as a moderator, they cannot leave and rejoin as an observer – and vice versa.

Select Join as Observer to enter the room. Please note that you cannot join unless the moderator has already started the session.

The observer participant cannot do any of the following:

Mute the mod or any member
Disconnect the mod or any member
See the host mod notes
Be seen or heard by the mod or members

The observer can chat with the moderator and other observers in the Chat function. They can also take notes that are private to themselves which can be exported after the session ends.

Participant Process

Sign Up for an Interview

To sign up for an interview, you will first receive the sign-up link from the moderator, typically via email. After clicking on the link, you will be asked to enter your email for a verification code via email.

If a participant clicks a link that doesn't require RSVP, you won’t have to verify your email nor will you get any email notifications.

After entering the code to verify your account, you will be asked to schedule your session by clicking the Schedule Now button at the bottom right corner of the screen.

You will then schedule your call by selecting the date and time and confirming this session.

After confirming your session, you will receive a reminder email with the session link. Click "here” to access your session via a web browser or the Live by FC app at the time of the event. You will only be able to access the session if the moderator has started it and the session start time has started.

Start a Session

To start a session...

Click the link that you received in your reminder emails.
Select the Test & Join session button for the session you want to join.
In the waiting room, participants will be prompted to test the mic, audio, and video to ensure all mediums work during the session.
The Join Now button will be greyed out if the moderator has not started the session yet and will be colored red if the moderator has started the session. Participants are unable to join before the scheduled session time.
Audio and Video Controls are simple: Show/Hide Video and Mute/Unmute Audio.

Participant Process via Mobile App

If you view a session through a phone's web browser, you are offered the opportunity to download the Live by FC phone app for IOS or Android.

Once participants download the app, they are asked to enter an email to receive a verification code.

Participants will enter the 6-digit code that was emailed to them to enter the portal to join a session.

Schedule In-App

If a mobile user already has the app installed, clicking any participant sign-up links will take them to the platform where they can schedule future sessions.

Start and Stop an Interview

Under your “Scheduled” tab, you can find your upcoming interviews. Tap the card that has a countdown and get taken to your test room.

Once you’re in the test room, set an alias and start your session.

Please note that the moderator must be in the session room and it must be after the interview scheduled time for the participant to be able to click “Start Now.”

Once in the session, the participant controls are very similar to what the web browser sees:

Share Screen (IDI only).
Flip cameras.
Stop/Start Video
Mute/Unmute audio.
End Call

Troubleshooting

If you encounter an issue, we recommend the following actions:

Ensure your internet is stable and close other browser tabs/windows. Like any audio/video platform, these factors can impact performance.
Clearing the browser cache: if you encounter an issue/error, the first step we recommend is to clear your cache. See instructions here: https://www.whatismybrowser.com/guides/clear-cache-history-cookies/
1. For Windows: Control + Shift + R
2. For Macs: Command + Shift +R
Log out and log back in: If clearing the cache does not correct the issue, log out of the experience and log back in.
Restart your computer by completely powering it off, waiting 15 seconds, then powering it back on. You may have system updates that will only work if you've restarted your computer.
If you are still encountering an issue, we will likely need information about your computer, browser, etc.
- Visit https://www.whatismybrowser.com/ and copy your unique URL (see below).
  - This will capture important (public) information about your system.
  - Send this URL to the Fuel Cycle team via one of the methods mentioned above.