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QualStage

A Secure Platform for Anonymous Online Interviews

QualStage
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QualStage is a web-based online interview platform that guarantees anonymity and personal data security. It was developed by a team of healthcare market research experts to give M3 panel members a private and convenient experience when participating in online interviews with M3 Global Research.

Compared with other web conferencing platforms, QualStage keeps you fully anonymous, and you won´t need to download any software to use the platform. When you’re invited to take part in an interview, you´ll be sent a unique interview link that you click on when it’s time to join the session.

Once you enter QualStage you’ll be identified by a number, preventing your identity from being revealed to anyone in the interview. Your personal information is protected from recruitment to reporting and is never shared with any sponsors or external stakeholders.
M3 Global Research is the market leader in data protection and privacy. Not only do we follow local and international regulations to keep your personal data safe, but also develop our own best practices and platforms to ensure that the privacy of our panel members is secure. Read more about our privacy policy here.
To get the most from your M3 interview experience, check out our five tips on how to use QualStage below:

5 tips to improve your online interview experience with QualStage

QualStage FAQs

When invited to an online interview powered by QualStage, we recommend that you use one of the following devices and set-ups:

  • Use a desktop or laptop computer (Mac or Windows PC). Tablets and smartphones are not yet supported by QualStage.
  • Ensure that your computer has speakers, a microphone, and a webcam. If using external devices (via USB plug-in, or wireless Bluetooth), ensure that they are connected.
  • Use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox as your browser and make sure that they are up to date. Other browsers, including Safari and Internet Explorer are not yet supported.
  • Connect to a stable internet network with a bandwidth of over 350kbps. You can run a speed test to learn more about your wi-fi connectivity. If you are experiencing a slow or unstable connection, try plugging your device directly into the router or get as close to the router as possible, and turn off all other wireless devices that could be diverting signal away from your computer.
QualStage features a tech check tool that evaluates the compatibility of your device and connection with the platform. A successful tech check will confirm good or excellent connectivity and identify potential improvements to audio and video settings if necessary. Simply follow the steps to start the automated test, which only takes a few moments.

The interview link that you receive via email is a unique link created just for you and ensures that your participation is fully anonymous.

Your unique interview link can be found in both your email confirmation, and the reminder sent by the M3 project management team. Your link will be highlighted in yellow under the ‘QualStage login instructions’ section.

Your attendee code is a unique code assigned to you and prevents your identity from being shared with anyone in the interview. You can locate your attendee code in the QualStage confirmation email and in any reminder emails sent by the M3 project management team. Once your unique interview link is clicked, your attendee code will automatically populate on the QualStage interview webpage.

Once you have completed the tech check and your attendee code has been verified, you will enter the virtual waiting room until the moderator has started the meeting and granted you access.

You will then be able to join the meeting by clicking the ‘Join Meeting’ button, or you will be added automatically after five seconds.

If the meeting ends prematurely, or you happen to ‘drop out’ from the platform, please try the following:

  • Check your internet connection. An unstable connection can cause interference during an interview. Try speed test sites like Speedtest by Ookla – The Global Broadband Speed Test.
  • Refresh the page. Refreshing will help re-establish your connection to the platform but in doing so will likely drop your connection to the interview for a few seconds before returning. If possible, before refreshing, let the moderator know so they are aware and prepared for your brief absence.
  • Close and re-open the browser window, and then click on the meeting link again. Again, please let the moderator know that you’re experiencing difficulties, so they are aware.
The moderator will display a website or document and give you control to explore it; you will be able to navigate and click within the website or document, the same as you would within your browser.

The meeting tools give you access to these functions during the interview, such as “Mute my Mic”, “Chat”, and “Camera”. Here, you’ll find a description of each tool:  

Mute my Mic   

Click the microphone icon to mute and unmute yourself at any point during the interview.   

Camera   

The camera icon can be used to turn your camera on or off as needed.    

Chat   

The bell icon lets you know you have a new message, which will disappear once you click within the text box. To send a message, type into the message box and click the plane icon to send. You can define the recipient(s) as follows:   

  • Everyone (globe icon): Send messages to everyone (moderators and respondents)
  • Individual (user icon): Send a message directly to the moderator   

When the meeting is officially over, the moderator will end the meeting and you will be sent an alert saying: The moderator has ended your session. Please reach out to our QualStage support team if you have any questions.

QualStage is great for your anonymity and personal data protection. When you participate in an online interview with QualStage, you are automatically assigned a numeric ID to make sure your anonymity is protected throughout the research. This function is not available in other web conferencing platforms such as Zoom.