System Requirements for Observers

Overview

This section provides information on the system requirements for observers in order to participate in a discussion on the platform. We will cover supported browsers, bandwidth, and equipment requirements. We will also see some best practices that come with joining a discussion using a smartphone or tablet.

Participants are required to have a working webcam and a compatible browser. To ensure a smooth discussion, all participants should be screened for these requirements in advance of the research session.

The Discuss.io cloud-based software has been designed to be compatible with devices running Windows and MAC OSX, with no special hardware or software required. It is also compatible with current iOS and Android devices for any mobile-friendly sessions.

Equipment Recommendations

Any standard webcam (integrated or external)
A wired headset with a microphone
If attending from meeting rooms, echo–canceling speakerphones

Supported Devices

Discuss is compatible with:

Laptop computers,
Desktop computers,
Mobile phones and most current tablets. However, not every study will accept mobile phones and tablets.

Supported Browsers

Discuss.io is designed to work with the following browsers:

Fully supported desktop browsers:

Google Chrome (latest release version)
Firefox (latest release version)
Edge (version 80 or newer)
Safari (version 13 or newer)

Fully supported mobile browsers:

Chrome Mobile (latest release version)
Firefox (latest release version)
Safari (version 13 or newer)

We don't support any beta or legacy versions of these browsers or alternative open-source builds of them. Use of unsupported browsers is at your own risk and Discuss.io is not responsible for session failure, cancellations or delays, or other problems that may occur resulting from using unsupported software or devices to access Discuss.io.

Users must have cookies and JavaScript enabled in their browser.

For the best experience, we recommend users close unnecessary browser tabs and any programs that may attempt to access the camera and microphone, such as Skype, to prevent a conflict.

Firewalls and Corporate IT

Respondents joining from a work internet connection or work computer must confirm that firewalls and corporate IT policies will not prevent them from publishing or subscribing to video streams in their browser. It is common for IT settings to block video streaming, and most employees are not permitted to change these settings. For this reason, it is important that observers to test our their devices and networks before the session with moderators in the 'Personal Meeting Room' of a project.

Mobile and Tablet Best Practices

For mobile and tablet devices, there are a few things to know to have the best possible experience.

Mobile and tablet devices are available only for users in the Respondent (being interviewed) or Observer roles. Moderators must join on a laptop or desktop computer.
Because mobile devices have shorter battery life, it is suggested that mobile participants have a charger nearby to be able to continue the conversation without dropping.

Bandwidth Requirements

Take note of both minimum upload and download speeds for a high-quality interview:

Upload: ≥ 1 Mbps (recommended lowest level).
Download: ≥ 1 Mbps (recommended lowest level).

(N.b.: Participants at lower connection speeds cannot reliably send or receive screen shares. Acceptable speed calculated based on sharing 1024 × 728 px at 10 frames per second. )

Customers doing their own recruitment may want to remind respondents that neither they nor anyone using their internet connection should do bandwidth-heavy activities during the interview, including but not limited to:

Streaming videos (YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, etc)
Playing online video games
Downloading or uploading large files

Overview