Record a user research interview and keep the transcript
Record a user research interview in Chrome with both voices and a transcript, name the speakers, and keep every session in its own folder on your computer.
A user research interview is easier to run when you are not typing. This post shows how to record a user research interview in Google Chrome, keep a transcript with real speaker names, and file each session so you can find a quote weeks later. Everything stays in a folder on your own computer.
Tell the participant before you record
Always tell people they are being recorded, and do it before you press the button. Say it in the invite and again at the start of the call: what is recorded, what it is for, and who on your team will see it. Ask for a clear yes while the recording is already running, so the consent is part of the file. If someone says no, take notes by hand.
The transcript needs one more sentence. While the live transcript is on, Chrome sends your microphone audio to Google to turn it into text. If a study must keep every sound on your computer, untick Live transcript under Options before you start, and tell the participant either way.
How to record a user research interview in Chrome
Cheap Recorder runs in Google Chrome on macOS, Windows and Linux. For a remote interview, the call has to be open in a Chrome tab, because the recorder takes the call's sound from that tab. If you have not used the call step before, the Google Meet recording guide shows it with every button.
- Choose a folder. Under Where to save, press Choose folder... and let Chrome edit files in it. Until you do, Start recording is greyed out and the note beside it says to choose a folder first. The recorder does not remember the folder, so you choose it every visit.
- Name the recording so sessions sort:
P04 checkout flow. The name becomes the file name and the folder name, with the date and time added. - Add the call. In the Call audio tile, press Pick the call tab..., choose the Meet or Teams tab, tick Share tab audio and press Share. Your microphone and the call are mixed into one recording.
- Choose what to show. If the participant is trying a prototype, pick a browser tab or a window under What to capture. One tab keeps your other tabs and apps out of the file. For a voice-only interview, switch off Record my webcam and pick no screen, and you get an M4A audio file instead of an MP4.
- Check Options. Live transcript is ticked by default. The transcript language is chosen before you start and goes back to its default each time the page opens, so check it.
- Press Start recording.
Wear headphones, so the participant's voice does not leave your speakers and come back through your microphone as an echo. Use a wired microphone if you can; a Bluetooth headset used as a microphone drops to a low-quality mode. Do not tick tab audio in the screen share when you already picked the call tab in Call audio, or the participant's voice goes in twice.
Run a 30-second test first
Before the participant joins, or in the first minute, record 30 seconds, say a few sentences, stop and play it back. You are listening for the wrong microphone or a muted tab. It costs less than finding out after a 45-minute session. Because the transcript comes from your microphone, read the first lines of it too, and make sure the other side of the call appears.
When the interview ends, press Stop and finish. Do not use Chrome's own Stop sharing bar, which also finishes the recording.
Keep the transcript with the recording
If the live transcript was on and heard speech, the recording's folder holds a plain-text transcript beside the video, with the time of each line. For a session named P04 checkout flow, that is a file called P04 checkout flow - transcript.txt. Captions are not saved in the folder. Press Captions .srt or Transcript on the card after you stop to download them while the recorder page is open.
If you forgot to leave Live transcript ticked, a transcript cannot be added afterwards. That is the one step worth checking twice.
Name the speakers
Each transcript line is labelled with the sound source that was loudest at that moment: your microphone's name, or Meeting for the other side of the call. In three weeks that means nothing. Above the transcript there is one Speaker box per label. Type a real name, such as Moderator in one and P04 in the other, and press Save captions. Speaker labels are on plans that include speaker detection, so check What you can do on this plan in the menu under your name.
The labels follow sound sources, not voices. If two participants share one microphone, they share one label.
Mark the moments you will want again
Press M, or Add marker, when the participant hits a problem or says something you want to find. A short note confirms the time. Markers are written to files only when Also save every source separately is ticked under Options. With the default single MP4, the note appears but nothing is saved, so write the time down.
That option also gives you your microphone in its own file and the participant in audio_meeting_far_end.webm, inside a Separate sources folder. It cannot be added later, and the folder is larger, so choose a drive with room. Take it when you want to listen to the participant alone.
A worked example
This one is made up. Priya runs a 40-minute interview with a participant about a new checkout screen. She chooses her research folder, names the recording P04 checkout flow, and picks the Meet tab with its tab audio in the Call audio tile. She shares only the prototype tab, records a 30-second test, and starts.
Twelve minutes in, the participant cannot find the promo code box. Priya presses M. When the session ends, she presses Stop and finish and opens the folder: the MP4 and the transcript. She types Moderator and P04 into the Speaker boxes, presses Save captions, and pastes the three best quotes, each with its time, into her tagging sheet.
Organize sessions so quotes are easy to find
- Number the recordings.
P01,P02and so on keep sessions in order when you sort the folder by name. - Quote with the time. The transcript is plain text with a time on each line, so copy the quote and its time into your sheet and tag it. Anyone can jump back to the moment.
- Share less than the whole session. A quote with a speaker label often does the job without sending someone's face and voice to the whole company. Only send the video to people the participant agreed to.
A similar setup for sales and support calls is in the post on how to record a customer onboarding call and keep the transcript. The transcript guide covers the languages and caption files, and the separate tracks guide covers one file per voice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I record an in-person interview?
Yes. Switch off Record my webcam, pick no screen, and the recording is an M4A audio file. Put the microphone close to the participant, because the transcript is made from what Chrome hears on your microphone.
What if I forgot to turn the transcript on?
It cannot be added to that recording afterwards. Live transcript is ticked by default under Options, so check it before you press Start recording.
Does the recording leave my computer?
Recordings are saved to the folder you pick and are not uploaded, except when you use Convert or Download MP3. The live transcript is different: Chrome sends your microphone audio to Google to make the text.
Is the Free plan enough for interviews?
The Free plan includes recording, live transcript and captions, with 12 hours of recording a month on 1 device and no card needed. Speaker labels need a plan that includes speaker detection.
Get started
Try one 30-second test now, then check the folder for the video and the transcript file. Start recording on the free plan. Your recordings stay on your own computer.