How to record a focus group discussion

There are two ways to record your live discussions:

Automatic recording

By default, Quallie automatically records every live video discussion and securely stores the recording in the cloud. The recording is typically available within a few minutes after the session ends, allowing you to replay it online or download it as an MP4 file.

Automatic recordings include only the video conference itself – the moderator and respondents. Elements such as the whiteboard, text chat, or other workspace panels are not included.

Recordings remain available in the Results section for a limited time. If required, you can disable automatic recording in your project settings.

Local recording with screen recording software

In some situations, it may be useful to record your entire screen instead of only the video conference. This allows you to capture additional content such as the whiteboard, text chat, presentation slides, or even other applications running on your computer.

Screen recording is also recommended when your session exceeds Quallie’s recording limits: more than 16 participants or duration longer than 240 minutes.

Screen recording software captures everything displayed on your screen. Most applications allow you to record the entire display, a selected area, or a specific application window. Audio is recorded as well.

There is a wide selection of screen capture tools, both free and paid. Here are the tools we consider to be the best screen recording software for online focus groups.

FlashBack Express Recorder (Windows)

It’s been our favorite screen recorder for Windows for many years. The Express edition is free but offers many features with a very intuitive interface. It can record the whole screen, a selected region of your display, or a specific window. If you have two or more displays you can select which one to record, or you can even record two displays at the same time.

FlashBack records the mouse cursor separately, so that you can later decide to include it to the recording or not. You can also highlight the cursor or clicks. It also records keystrokes. There are many other settings to optimize your recording (to hide desktop icons, hide taskbar, change resolution, take notes etc.

When the recording is running you can hide the recorder or minimize it to the system tray, so it does not appear on the recording. You can stop the recording by using the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S and save it to the native Flashback format for further editing or export it into a MP4 file.

The paid version (Flashback Pro) removes the watermark and limits and adds many video editing features; the screen recorder is the same.

Built-in screen recording on macOS (Catalina and newer)

MacOS includes a built-in screen recorder. Press Shift + Command + 5 to bring up the screenshot toolbar. The toolbar appears on the screen with two sets of buttons: Three on the left to capture a screenshot and two in the middle for recording the screen. Click the Record button located on the menu bar at the top of the display or use the shortcut Command + Control + Esc. The video will be saved to the desktop by default.

Other screen recording tools

  • OBS Studio (free, Windows+MacOS+Linux)
  • Xbox Game Bar (free, built into Windows)
  • QuickTime player for MacOS (free)
  • Apowersoft Online Screen Recorder (https://www.apowersoft.com/free-online-screen-recorder)
  • Camstudio (free, Windows, https://camstudio.org)
  • Snagit ($50, https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html)
  • Loom ($8/mo, Windows+MacOs, https://www.loom.com/screen-recorder)
  • EZVid (free, Windows, https://www.ezvid.com/ezvid_for_windows)
  • Screencast-O-Matic (browser-based)

Video editing

After recording, you may want to edit your video by trimming unwanted sections, adding an introduction or conclusion, inserting subtitles, annotations, or other elements. Popular video editing applications include:

  • Apple iMovie (free)
  • Microsoft Movie Maker (free)
  • DaVinci Resolve (free)
  • Adobe Premiere
  • Apple Final Cut
  • CyberLink PowerDirector
  • Corel VideoStudio
  • Filmora
  • Pinnacle Studio
  • Lightworks (free)
  • VSDC
  • FlashBack Pro
  • Camtasia
  • and many other video tools

You do not need professional editing software for basic edits. Professional applications such as DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere are extremely powerful but also require significantly more time to learn. For simple trimming and minor edits, beginner-friendly tools such as Clipchamp, iMovie, FlashBack, or Lightworks are usually more than sufficient.

Storing and sharing recordings

We recommend exporting your recordings as MP4, the most widely supported video format. Most video editors save projects in their own native file format by default. Before sharing your recording, use the application’s Export or Share function to create an MP4 file.

Your organization may already provide a secure solution for sharing files with colleagues or clients. Alternatively, you can use cloud storage services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Microsoft Azure. When using cloud storage, ensure your solution complies with GDPR and other applicable privacy regulations. For organizations operating within the European Union, personal data should generally be stored on servers located within the EU. Most major cloud providers offer EU data center locations. To learn more about GDPR and qualitative research, see our GDPR guide.

Video recordings should always be treated as personal data whenever participants can be identified by their face, name, voice, or any other identifying information. Do you have consents from all participants? Are you sure the video won’t leak to a third person?

Data retention

Video recordings and other personal data should be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which they were collected and in accordance with GDPR and other applicable privacy laws. The GDPR does not define a fixed retention period. The appropriate retention time depends on factors such as the purpose of the research, participant consent, contractual obligations, and your organization’s data retention policy. As a general recommendation, consider deleting recordings within one to two years after project completion unless there is a legitimate reason to retain them longer. Your company probably has the data retention policy you should follow as well. To learn more, check out our GDPR focus group guide.