This tutorial explains how to set up, start, and moderate a video-based focus group in Quallie.
How to moderate a video focus group?
Before the session:
Make sure everything is ready before participants join:
- Upload all images and videos you plan to show.
- Use a headset with a microphone for best audio quality.
- Enable session recording in the page settings if you want to record.
- Use a stable, fast internet connection.
- Use a screen with 1920×1080 resolution or higher to see the full moderator panel.
- Latest Google Chrome is highly recommended.
- Activate the video focus group page so respondents can join (page status: active).
Starting the session
Enter the video session room.
- Left side: video chat with respondents
- Below video: text chat
- Right side: moderator tools (guide, whiteboard, respondents list, client chat)
Before the session starts, the panel is empty. Participants will only see an info screen with recommendations.
To start the session, click the “Start video session” button in the middle column.
- The button turns red.
- Until you do this, nobody can join the video (not even you).
Once started, participants will see “Start your camera”.
- Their browser will ask for permission to use the camera and microphone.
- They must click Allow to join.
If you are the first person in the room, your video will fill the entire panel. As other people join the session, the layout changes to grid of all participants.
Moderator’s panel
As more participants join, the video area automatically switches to a grid layout.
Recommended group size: 2-10 participants.
Groups larger than 12 participants can be difficult to manage and moderate.
Participants can turn off their cameras at any time by clicking the red “Stop camera” button.
Microphones can be muted individually.
The moderator is marked with a yellow name and crown icon.
Leaving the page
- If anyone leaves the video page, their camera and microphone stop automatically.
- If participants join a video focus group from a mobile phone, be aware that incoming phone calls or switching to another app may interrupt their video session. Their camera may automatically turn off or the video connection may be temporarily interrupted.
- If they navigate to another page within the same project.
- As a moderator, if you need to open settings or another page, open it in a separate browser window to keep the video session active.
Weak connection handling
- If a participant has a poor connection, video quality is reduced automatically.
- Other users see a weak signal indicator.
- If needed, video may stop completely while audio continues.
- An icon replaces the video when this happens.
Moderator’s tools
The middle column contains participant controls:
- Camera icon (X): Turn off an individual participant’s camera.
- Circle icon: Remove a participant from the project and block further access.
- Chat hide icon: Hide a participant’s text messages from other participants. The messages remain visible to the moderator.
Text chat
- Located below the video panel
- Useful for links, short answers, or written tasks
Guide and whiteboard
The right side contains:
- Discussion guide (imported from your project)
- Whiteboard for showing images or videos
Using the whiteboard
You can present images, videos, sound files, polls, card sortings amd other activities.
- Upload all materials before the session.
- Select a file from the dropdown and send it to the whiteboard with the blue arrow.
- The content will appear on all respondents’ whiteboards within a few seconds.
- You can allow respondents to draw with red or green pencils on images (e.g. highlight likes vs. dislikes) or use the media evalutor with videos or sound files.
Respondent’s view
Respondents see a simplified interface:
- Left: video grid
- Below: text chat
- Right: whiteboard (larger than the moderator’s view)
- No moderator tools are visible
Mobile view
- On smartphones, video is shown on top, whiteboard and chat below.
- Respondents may need to scroll down to access the whiteboard and text chat. Remember to mention this at the beginning of the session.
Ending the session
- Click “Stop video session” (red button) in the middle column.
- All participants will be disconnected.
- If recording is enabled, the recording is finalized and saved.
Recordings
- Enable recording in Page settings → Recording: Yes (enabled by default)
- Recording starts automatically when the moderator starts the session.
- Recording stops and saves when the session ends.
- If you restart the session in the same project, a new recording is created.
- All recordings are available in the Export section.
Video credits (pricing)
To conduct video sessions you will need video credits for your Quallie account. You can see the balance in the My Account section.
You can use our interactive calculator to find out how many credits you need for your project – the amount depends on the number of participants and the length of the session.
Video tutorial (old version – we will updated it soon)
Click Play to watch the video tutorial. A full text version is available below the video.