Joining a video interview or discussion

The research team may invite you to a video interview, or to a group discussion with a few other participants. The call runs in your web browser, on your phone or your computer. There is nothing to install.

Where to find the link

You get a message with the date and time, in your own time zone:

• An email. Tap Join the interview or Join the discussion in the email.
• A WhatsApp or text message, if the research team sends you messages that way. Tap the link in the message.

About an hour before the start, you may get a reminder in the same way.

You also see it on the Today screen of the study, as Video interview or Group discussion, with the date, the time and sometimes the topic. Tap the card to open it.

If the time does not suit you, reply to the email.

When you can join

You can join from 15 minutes before the start. Before that, the page and the card on Today say You can join from and the time.

If the page says the interview or discussion is not open now, it has ended or was cancelled. Write to the research team if you think this is a mistake. See Messages from the research team.

Join the call

1. Open it from the link or from the Today screen.
2. When your browser asks, allow the camera and the microphone. You see yourself before you join.
3. Tap the button to join.
4. Wait on the page until the researcher joins.

In the call, everyone shows as a tile with their name. The person speaking has a coloured frame.

If your browser said no to the camera or the microphone, see Something is not working to allow them, then reload the page.

The buttons

At the bottom of the call:

• Microphone: turns your microphone off and on. A crossed out microphone means you are muted.
• Camera: turns your video off and on.
• Chat: write to everyone in the call. A number shows new messages.
• Full screen: shows the call on the whole screen. Tap it again to go back.
• The red button: leave the call.

If you leave by mistake, tap Join again.

Muted by the moderator

In a group discussion, the moderator may mute your microphone, for example when there is noise. You see a message saying so. Tap the microphone button when you want to speak again.

The moderator can also switch the chat off. Then you can still read it, but not write.

Recording and observers

If the call is recorded, the page says so, and you see REC in the call.

Other members of the research team may watch the session without being seen, as is usual in research. The page tells you this too.

If the connection drops

If you see that the connection was lost, stay on the page. The call connects again by itself.

If it does not come back:

• Move closer to your Wi-Fi, or switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data.
• Reload the page and join again.
• Open the link from your email or message again.

You can join again until about an hour after the planned end.

When the call ends

When the research team ends the call, you see a message thanking you for your time. You can close the page.