Overview & License Considerations
When programming a 2-phase project (Asynchronous > Synchronous), the setup depends on your site's Subscription license type:
Standard Qual License: Includes access to all platform activity types (both Asynchronous and Synchronous) in a single study space or across multiple studies.
Live Activities Only License: Restricts study functionality exclusively to Live Video Interview and Live Group Chat activities.
Important license considerations: If a Site’s subscription phase transitions from a Standard Qual to a Live Activities Only license, any All Activity Types studies will become inaccessible to participants unless an active Standard Qual license is maintained.
Checking Your Site License Type
Analysts can check if the site subscription or current phase has a Live Activities Only license:
Go to Site Administration > Settings > Subscription
Review the active and upcoming phases. Live Activities Only licenses are explicitly labeled on the Phase card
To check if an individual study is set to Live Activities Only:
Analysts or Moderators can go to Study Admin > Study Settings
Check the label displayed underneath the Study State
Creating a Live Activities Only Study
To create a dedicated study for Live Video Activities, Analysts can follow the steps below:
Go to Dashboard > Add Study.
For the Study Type, select Live Activities Only.
Click Next.
Enter a Study Name.
(Optional) Customize the External Study ID, add additional Study Languages, and/or Time zone.
Click Add Study.
Programming a 2-Phase Project (Standard Qual to Live Activity Only Transition)
If your project starts with an Asynchronous phase under a Standard Qual License and transitions to a Synchronous phase under a Live Activities Only License, Analysts must set up two separate studies. Analysts can then use a Segment to identify selected participants that will be taking part in your live activities.
Step 1: Create the Two Studies
Analysts can go to Dashboard > Add Study.
Create Study 1 (Asynchronous Phase): Select the All Activity Types study type
Create Study 2 (Synchronous Phase): Select the Live Activities Only study type
Note: Moderators, and Clients must be added to both studies if they require administrative or observational access to both phases of your project.
Step 2: Onboard Participants to the Asynchronous Study
Analysts or Moderators can go to Study Admin > Add Participants inside the Asynchronous Study (All Activity Types)
Add and invite participants to complete the Asynchronous activities
Step 3: Onboard to the Synchronous Study Using Segments
To identify and transition selected participants from the Asynchronous phase to the Live Activities phase Analysts can follow the steps below:
Go to Site Administration > Panelists > Segments
Click New Segment > Basic Segment
Enter a Segment Name
Under Advanced Options, locate Add Panelists to Studies and select your upcoming Live Activities Only study
Note: When panelists are added to this segment, they are automatically added to the Synchronous study, but invitations are not sent yet
Click Save
Add participants to this Segment from the Asynchronous study via bulk import, task response assignment (polls/prompts), or manual selection on their panelist edit page (within Site Administration)
Once the Live Activities Only phase begins and the Synchronous Study is opened, and participants have been added to the segment, Analysts or Moderators can go to Study Admin > Email Broadcast to send email invitations to join
Projects on Sites Without a Live Activities Only License
If your site does not have a Live Activities Only license:
The Live Activities Only study type option will not appear when creating a Study
New Studies automatically default to All Activity Types
With a Standard Qual License, you have full access to all activity types (including Live Video Interviews and Group Chats) within a single study. Creating a second study for Live Activities is optional and only necessary if you prefer to separate the study spaces
Troubleshooting: Incorrect Study Type Selected
If an incorrect Study Type was selected during study creation:
Option 1: Analysts can delete the study (if no participant data exists) and recreate it using the correct Study Type
Option 2: Contact [email protected] for support in updating the study type configuration
Still have questions?
If you have questions or feedback about this article, contact the Recollective Helpdesk at [email protected].