NoldusViso – FAQ
Last updated: Nov 09, 2026
This is a first iteration of the NoldusViso FAQ. There's no customer feedback to draw on yet, so these questions are drawn directly from the documentation written so far — the questions a new user is most likely to have when reading it for the first time. Expect this page to grow once real user questions start coming in.
Prerequisites
None. This page can be read at any time, regardless of your role or where you are in NoldusViso.
Getting started
What is NoldusViso? A scalable audio-video recording platform for setting up and capturing observation sessions — usability tests, counseling sessions, training exercises, and similar. Everything is recorded to one central location, with role-based access control and two-factor authentication. It's used for simulation and training, counseling and psychology, human factors research, and UX research. See Introducing NoldusViso.
What are Scenario, Template, Device, and Session? A Template is a ready-made starting point for a scenario. A Scenario is a saved, reusable configuration of sources, subjects, tasks, and events — created from a template or from scratch. A Device is a camera or microphone connected to the system. A Session is a single recording, created when someone starts recording a scenario. See Introducing NoldusViso.
What user roles exist, and who assigns them? Five roles: Technician, Administrator, Researcher/Trainer, Student/Trainee, and Guest, each with a different scope of action. Only an Administrator assigns roles. See User Accounts and Roles.
Can Students/Trainees record their own sessions? No. Students/Trainees cannot start their own recordings. They can view, replay, and annotate sessions that have been shared with them. Because of this, it's important to think carefully about how you assign user roles. See User Accounts and Roles.
Can one user account belong to more than one department? No, an account belongs to exactly one department. If someone needs to work across departments, the workaround is a separate account per department, each with its own email address. See Departments and Groups.
Do I need to set up departments and groups? No, it's optional. For a small organization or a limited number of users, it's often simpler to skip it. It becomes useful once a lab has multiple rooms shared by distinct user groups — for example, one group doing counseling sessions and another doing UX testing. See Departments and Groups.
Setting up your environment
What's the difference between using a template and creating a scenario from scratch? A template gives you a pre-filled starting point for a standard research setup, with placeholders for sources, subjects, tasks, and events, so you fill in less yourself. Building from scratch means choosing every part yourself. See How to Use Templates.
Which templates are available? Training, Usability Test, and Focus Group, with more planned. See How to Use Templates.
What do I need before I can create or configure a scenario? Devices (cameras, microphones) must already be registered in the system, and your role must allow configuring scenarios (Administrator or Researcher/Trainer).
Recording
What are the different ways to record a session? Single scenario recording (one scenario, one session), multiple scenario recording (several scenarios recorded at once, each its own session), and composite recording (multiple views within one scenario, for following subjects across locations without starting a new session). See Record a Session.
Can I record more than one scenario at the same time? Yes — open and start each scenario separately; each runs as its own independent session. How many you can run at once depends on available scenarios, available devices, and session ownership. Starting/stopping several sessions with one button is planned for a future release. See Record a Session.
How do I know a recording is currently running? A red dot appears on the Observe item in the sidebar wherever you are in NoldusViso. The Home page's Current sessions card and the Observe page both show active sessions with a red recording badge: a dot with a live timer.
Why does a device show "In recording" instead of a live stream? Because it's already in use by another session — for privacy reasons, you see an "In recording" label instead of that session's image. An Administrator can stop that recording to release the device.
Should I test my setup before recording? Yes. Testing confirms cameras are available, PTZ settings are correct, the right audio sources are selected, the needed subjects/tasks/events are available, and the room itself is free — this avoids losing a recording to a problem discovered too late. See Test Your Setup.
Can I schedule a recording in advance? Yes, using the scheduler. You can set a scenario, time slot, invite other users, and even have the recording start and stop automatically. Only Administrators and Researchers/Trainers can schedule sessions.
Can I add or swap a device while a recording is running? No — devices can't be added or replaced mid-recording. Stop the recording, adjust the scenario, then start a new one.
Working with sessions
How do I review a recorded session? Go to the Library, find the session's card, and click Play. From there you get playback controls, marker-to-marker navigation, and the ability to add, edit, or remove annotations while you watch. See Review and Present Sessions.
Is there a presentation mode? Yes. While you review or observe a session, click Pop out videos to show the videos in a window of their own, for example on a projector, while you keep the controls. A single video can be popped out with its own pop-out button. See Review and Present Sessions.
How do I download a session? From its card in the library, open the three-dot menu, click Download, choose separate files or a single composition, decide whether to include annotations as CSV, then click Start download. See Manage and Export Sessions.
Will my sessions ever be deleted automatically? Only if an Administrator has switched on automatic deletion in the retention policy; it is off by default. You (or an Administrator) can protect an individual session from auto-delete via its three-dot menu. See Manage and Export Sessions.
Who can transfer ownership of a session to someone else? Only Administrators. See Manage and Export Sessions.
Annotation
What can I annotate during or after a recording? Subjects (the person or people being observed), tasks (something with a duration, like walking or writing), and events (something momentary, like an error or a cry). These can be added live during recording, or afterward during review.
Can I edit an annotation after the recording is done? Yes. Pause the replay, find the task or event on the timeline, then change or delete it via its submenu. A task's duration can also be adjusted by dragging its start or end point. See Review and Present Sessions.
Reference
Where can I find keyboard shortcuts, troubleshooting steps, or a general web app guide? See Troubleshooting for Technicians for symptom-by-symptom walkthroughs of common problems, and Installation for what an installation involves. System requirements and Manage devices are also available.