Live sessions

Studies people take on their own answer a lot. Sometimes the best follow‑up only shows up in conversation: a moderated usability test when there are tasks to walk through, or an open interview when you need to hear how someone thinks. Moderated sessions are a full path in User Sage, not a side add‑on.

Schedule it

Connect Google Calendar in Settings, set your availability, and share a booking link. Participants pick a time and get confirmation and reminders. The session lands on your calendar with a meeting link. Scheduling, booking, and running sessions is available without burning your monthly recording allotment. Recording is the piece that is metered.

Run it live

You run live sessions from Moderated sessions in the nav. You lead the call. Your team can watch from the Observation Lounge, follow the live transcript, tag moments that matter, and send you questions as you go, without joining the call as a chorus of faces.

Keep the recording

With the participant’s consent, the session can be recorded. Afterward, the recording and transcript stay with the session so the team can revisit what was said and shown. Pro includes 1 live session recording per month. Packs cover more and expire 12 months from purchase. One recording covers up to about 60 minutes. Longer interviews use additional recording time. If you run out of recordings, you can still schedule and run unrecorded sessions.

Incentives for live participants can be tracked with the session, promised to given, the same as any other study, so you can see whether everyone has been paid.

Day‑one advice

Skip live sessions until you have run at least one loop (chapters 4 to 6) unless your research question is inherently conversational. When you do schedule, treat the Observation Lounge as the way teammates learn without turning the call into a panel interview.