Reference table
Roles in an observed user research session
Moderator, note-taker, observers and backchannel lead
A table of the four roles in a usability test or user interview that colleagues are watching: the moderator, the note-taker, the observers and an optional backchannel lead who collects questions. For each role it shows what they do during the session and what they should avoid. Use it to brief a team before a round of research. With Koji's AI-moderated interviews there is no live session, and the team reads full transcripts and quote-backed findings instead.
Where this appears
What's in this reference table
| Role | What they do | What they avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Moderator | Runs the session and is the only person who talks to the participant | Handing control to observers |
| Note-taker | Captures what happens close to word for word, with timestamps | Summarising or interpreting live |
| Observers | Watch, note what they see and pass questions through the backchannel | Speaking, reacting or designing fixes |
| Backchannel lead | Gathers questions and passes the best ones on at a natural break | Flooding the moderator mid-question |
Use this image
Free to use in your docs, decks and posts under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Koji with a link to this page. To embed it, paste this into your page:
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/user-research-session-roles-observers"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/user-research-session-roles-observers/user-research-session-roles-observers.png" alt="Table of the four roles in an observed research session: moderator, note-taker, observers and backchannel lead, with what each does and avoids." width="1200" height="666" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/user-research-session-roles-observers">Roles in an observed user research session</a>, Koji</p>
