Product Update: Automatic Video Clipping

One key component of traditional ethnographic research is field-based data collection that prioritizes observation over direct questioning. Observation allows the researcher to contextualize the gaps between what people say versus what they actually do. A research community however, removes the researcher from the field and relies on the community interface to collect data for them.

Recollective has released another exciting update to benefit customers collecting video from participants. Now, without any video editing software, administrators can download automatically generated video clips created directly from excerpts on video transcripts.

Simply highlight the desired text from a video's transcript to create a downloadable video clip that will precisely match your text selection. You no longer need to download large video exports only to re-watch them out of context hoping to relocate relevant feedback and insights. Dozens of perfectly-timed clips can now be created and exported in minutes.

Recollective's Video Capabilities

Within the past 6 months, Recollective has released two major video processing improvements:

  • In August, free and automated video transcription was released. This speech-to-text engine (powered by artificial intelligence) instantly converts spoken words from 160 language-variations to text, ready for analysis.
  • In October, interactive playback of videos and their transcripts was added. Words are highlighted as they're spoken and word selection can control video playback.

In this February release, we've continued along that path to provide the following improvements:

  • Significant performance boost in video processing (i.e. submitted videos are ready to watch much more quickly)
  • Video clips are automatically generated for every saved excerpt from a video transcript
  • Ability to manually adjust the video clip timing to add time or trim the clips
  • Bulk exporting of video clips in addition to downloading single clips

Note that each video clip produced will be a MP4 file that matches the original video's resolution (up to 1080p). A clip's filename will include the participant's username, clip timing, and other reference numbers.

Improved Excerpt Report

All text submitted by participants (including auto-generated video transcripts) are open for analysis without leaving Recollective. Administrators can highlight and save as many text snippets as needed to catalog the valuable insights they've received.

Each saved excerpt can be assigned codes from a Code Book that administrators collaboratively evolve over time while moderating a study.

The Excerpt Report has always provided a way to filter and review all the saved excerpts in a study. The report has been greatly improved in this release.

Report Enhancements for Video

  • For each excerpt saved from a video transcript, a still-frame will now appear in the result (the still frame corresponds to the start time of the excerpt)
  • Video clip playback is available and provides full interactivity
  • During playback, controls are shown to permit clip timing adjustments
  • Option to download a single video clip
  • Option to bulk export all video clips from the report results
  • Ability to filter the report on just "Video Transcripts" as a type of excerpt

Improved Excerpt Filtering

Filtering the Excerpt Report now includes:

  • Filter by administrator(s) that saved the excerpts
  • Filter by date the excerpt was saved
  • Filter on excerpts for a single task

Additional Excerpt Details

  • Participant profile photos are now included
  • The original context of the source text is indicated (i.e. task or topic)
  • Additional metadata about the excerpt (i.e. who saved it and when)

Backroom Support

Excerpts have always supported backroom comments by administrators and now the Excerpt Report will re-display those comments in the report results

  • Backroom comments can be added directly in the report results
  • Export of excerpts will include backroom comments
  • Option to exclude backroom comments for a client-facing report

Other Product Updates

The latest release of Recollective includes a few other important improvements worth mentioning:

Profile Field Export

  • Ability to export the Panelist Profiling fields of a site
  • Includes the full configuration of all fields and poll choices

Word Summary Improvements

  • The raw data behind the word cloud visualization is now available below the word cloud
  • Includes the option to export the data to Microsoft Excel
  • Ability to hide unwanted words in the word cloud

Discussion Topic Filters

  • Keyword filter for discussion topics
  • Improved navigation of long topic lists

Multimedia Task Update

  • The Multimedia task type now formally takes over for the "classic" media-specific task types (Photos, Video and File Upload)
  • The text response portion of a Multimedia task can now appear below the media attachments and have its own question
  • The placeholder for photo, video and file captions can now be customized thus allowing a specific question to be asked per media item uploaded

Next Update

For the next release, we'll be focusing on the scheduling of email invitations plus some new built-in panelist attributes. These new attributes will help you identify panelists based on their level of engagement.

We hope you will enjoy the automated video clip generation that's now available in Recollective. As always, we appreciate any and all feedback you might have on this product update.

Philippe Dame
Co-Founder & CPO

Let's research happy together