FC Qual is Fuel Cycle’s qualitative research platform. It enables research teams to design, conduct, and analyze moderated and unmoderated video research studies — including in-depth interviews, focus groups, and self-guided participant sessions — within a single workspace. The platform includes automated transcription, AI-assisted analysis, session recording, and stakeholder observation capabilities. Studies may be conducted using the customer’s own participants or through Fuel Cycle’s integrated respondent panel

Key Definitions

• Seats: “Seats” refer to the licensed user access allocated for project moderators. Each license includes unlimited observer seats at no additional cost.
• Study: A “Study” is defined as one (1) dedicated research project utilizing either unmoderated or moderated methodologies conducted via the FC Qual platform.
• Unmoderated Session: A recorded feedback session completed by a single respondent with no live moderator present. Each recording counts as one Session, up to a maximum length of three (3) hours.
• Moderated Session: A live, one-on-one feedback session between a single respondent and a moderator. Each session counts as one (1) Session, up to a maximum length of three (3) hours.
• Focus Group Session: A live feedback session in which a moderator leads multiple respondents simultaneously. Each session counts as one (1) Session, up to a maximum length of three (3) hours.
• Respondents – Bring Your Own: Customers may use their own respondent pool at no additional cost when conducting studies on the platform.
• Respondents – Panels: Customers may source panel respondents through Fuel Cycle by purchasing prepaid Qual panel budget. These can be consumed through self-serve mode on the platform (B2C unmoderated only) or through a custom request (for moderated sessions, B2B, or hard-to-reach audiences).
• Fair usage policy: Unlimited session usage is subject to Fuel Cycle’s fair usage policy to ensure equitable access to platform resources. Repeated or excessive usage may result in service throttling or adjusted pricing. The current fair usage threshold is set at 2,500 Sessions per calendar year.