During live Webcam/Video group sessions, pre-recruited participants in various locations use webcams with their computers, or smart phone video cameras and apps, to see and interact with the research moderator and each other in individual video windows on their screens.
The moderator can make available discussion materials, websites, whiteboards, and collaboration tools as needed. This method can also be used for one-on-one sessions. If a participant is not able to use a video connection they can still participate in voice mode.
Clients can observe sessions in real time from a computer or smart phone app, communicate privately with each other and the moderator via Text Chat, IM or phone, and watch recordings of the sessions later from a private online archive. Some clients like to gather in one room with the moderator to view the live sessions on a large screen and confer first-hand as a team.
Free or low cost Webcam/Video conferencing (such as Skype and other platforms designed for general or business use, or mobile-based solutions like Apple’s Face Time) may be adequate for simple qualitative sessions. But critical projects tend to require platforms that have been adapted specifically for qualitative research, and provide more reliable voice/audio support and video-management tools.
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