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Task observation (previously called event detection) lets the AI moderator watch a participant perform a task, then ask a few reflective questions about specific moments once the task is done. Think of it as a researcher sitting behind the participant while they shop online or handle a product. The researcher does not interrupt and does not count anything. When the participant says they are finished, the researcher picks a handful of moments worth talking about: “You searched twice, then went straight to a comparison page. Walk me through that.” It is a qualitative interviewing feature. It is not a UX analytics tool, and it does not track clicks.
Task observation is in private beta. It is enabled by invitation for a small number of organizations while we co-develop it with pilot customers. If Task observation does not appear under Live vision, contact your Conveo representative. The feature carries a price uplift, shown in the topic guide when you enable it.

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How it works

Task observation runs on one open-ended question at a time. That question becomes a task.
  1. The moderator gives the task. For example: “Find a pair of wireless headphones you would buy.” Screen sharing or camera access was already granted when the participant joined, so nothing extra is asked of them.
  2. The participant does the task while the AI watches silently. The moderator never speaks, prompts, or steers during the task.
  3. The participant says they are done. There is no button. The participant tells the moderator they have finished, like answering any other question. If nothing usable was seen yet, the moderator gently checks in at most twice, then moves on.
  4. The moderator asks about specific moments. “I noticed you compared two models on Amazon. What made you hesitate?” How many moments, and how deep the follow-ups go, is set by you.
The moderator only asks about things that were actually visible and that match your guidance. If a task produced nothing worth asking about, it asks less or moves on.

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What it can and cannot do

Task observation sees exactly what a person would see looking at a screenshot once per second. Nothing more. Rule of thumb: if the research question starts with “what percentage of people…” or “how many times did they…”, task observation does not answer it. If it starts with “why did they…” or “what happened when they…”, it does.

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Turning it on for a question

  1. Open the topic guide and select an open-ended question.
  2. Open Live vision and choose Task observation.
  3. Choose a Source: Screen sharing or Camera. Each question uses one source.
  4. Write your Guidance.
  5. Open Observation settings to set the number of moments and the follow-up depth.
  6. Run a full test interview with the intended source before launch.

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Choosing a source

Choosing Screen sharing turns on the study’s screen-sharing requirement if it was off, so the participant shares their screen for the whole interview, not just this question. If you had already chosen Single window, that setting is kept. Removing the last screen-sharing task observation question turns the requirement back off, so re-check device and screen-sharing settings after editing. Screen sharing works in desktop browsers and in the Conveo app on iPhone and iPad. Mobile browsers cannot share a screen, and Android app support is still being verified. Plan screen-sharing tasks for desktop participants.

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Writing guidance

Guidance is the only steer you give the AI. It shapes what gets noticed during the task, which moments get asked about afterwards, and how those questions are phrased. Write it as a few sentences, not a checklist, and cover three things:
  • What to watch for. “Watch which AI tools they open and whether they compare prices across shops.”
  • What to dig into. “Ask why they trusted or ignored the AI answer, and what made them switch shops.”
  • What to leave alone. “Do not ask about delivery times.”
Guidance sharpens the moderator’s attention. It cannot add new kinds of detection: asking it to “count how many times they click the search bar” or “check whether they notice the sponsored label” will not work, because neither is visible in a screenshot. Changes to guidance apply to interviews that start after you save.

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Observation settings

Keep the maximum low. Three moments with one follow-up each is already six questions on top of the task itself. Ten moments with 2+ follow-ups makes for a very long interview.

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What the participant sees

The participant hears the task question and performs it on their shared screen or camera. They do not see your guidance, and they are not told which moments were noticed. While they work, a small Analyzing… indicator shows that Conveo is watching. When they say they are finished, the moderator asks its questions, then continues with the interview. Write the task so the participant knows what “finished” means: “find one you would buy and tell me when you have it” works better than “browse around”. Do not tell participants to “start sharing your screen”: sharing was already set up when they joined, and the instruction makes people think it is not working.

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Tips

  • One task, one natural end. “Find and add to cart” or “pick the one you would buy” gives the participant a clear moment to say they are done.
  • Match the source to the task. Camera observation cannot inspect an app screen that is not visible to the camera, and screen sharing cannot see a phone in the participant’s hand.
  • Describe visible behaviour in guidance, not inner states. “Compares prices across shops” is observable. “Feels confused” is something to ask the participant about.
  • Test it on yourself first, and tell your client it is a beta. If the moderator asks too many questions, lower Maximum moments or the depth.