20101126 - Focus Group research methodology (Wikipedia, Usability.gov, Edmunds)

Focus Group A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging.[1] Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members. The first focus groups were created at the Bureau of Applied Social Research by associate director, sociologist Robert K. Merton.[2] The term itself was coined by psychologist and marketing expert Ernest Dichter.[3] In the social sciences and urban planning, focus groups allow interviewers to study people in a more natural setting than a one-to-one interview. In combination with participant observation, they can be used for gaining access to various cultural and social groups, selecting sites to study, sampling of such sites, and raising unexpected issues for exploration. Focus groups have a high apparent validity - since the idea is easy to understand, the results are believable. Also, they are low in cost, one can get results relatively quickly, and they can increase the sample size of a report by talking with several people at once.[4] In the Usability engineering, focus group is a survey method to collect the views of users on a software or website. This marketing method can be applied to computer products to better understand the motivations of users and their perception of the product. Unlike other methods of ergonomics, focus group implies several participants: users or future users of the application. The focus group can only collect subjective data, not objective data on the use of the application as the usability test for example[5]. In the world of marketing, focus groups are seen as an important tool for acquiring feedback regarding new products, as well as various topics. In particular, focus groups allow companies wishing to develop, package, name, or test market a new product, to discuss, view, and/or test the new product before it is made available to the public. This can provide invaluable information about the potential market acceptance of the product. Focus Group is an interview, conducted by a trained moderator among a small group of respondents. The interview is conducted in an unstructured and natural way where respondents are free to give views from any aspect. Variants of focus groups include: Two-way focus group - one focus group watches another focus group and discusses the observed interactions and conclusion Dual moderator focus group - one moderator ensures the session progresses smoothly, while another ensures that all the topics are covered Dueling moderator focus group - two moderators deliberately take opposite sides on the issue under discussion Respondent moderator focus group - one and only one of the respondents are asked to act as the moderator temporarily Client participant focus groups - one or more client representatives participate in the discussion, either covertly or overtly Mini focus groups - groups are composed of four or five members rather than 6 to 12 Teleconference focus groups - telephone network is used Online focus groups - computers connected via the internet are used Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_group Focus Group Focus group is a moderated discussion among eight to 12 users or potential users of your site. A typical focus group lasts about two hours and covers a range of topics that you decide on beforehand. Focus groups are a traditional market research technique, so marketing departments are often more familiar with focus groups than with usability testing or contextual interviews. However, the techniques produce different kinds of information. In a typical focus group, participants talk; you hear them tell you about their work. In a typical usability test or contextual interview, users act; you watch (and listen to) them doing their work. You will learn about user's attitudes, beliefs, desires, and their reactions to ideas or to prototypes. What you do not learn is how users really work with Web sites and what problems users really have with those sites. Conducting Focus Groups You will need to select representative participants who match the users you want to come to your Web site. You will need to decide what you want to learn and write a 'script' for the moderator to follow. Hiring a skill moderator to facilitate the discussion will help insure that everyone participates and the group stays on track. The script gives the moderator questions to ask and topics to cover. Allowing the moderator flexibility will allow him to change the order of questions and topics to keep the discussion flowing smoothly. Tape the sessions and have one or more note takers. Source: http://www.usability.gov/methods/analyze_current/learn/focus.html Focus Group Principles By Holly Edmunds Holly Edmunds is Managing Partner of RS Consulting USA, LLC. Prior to joining the RS team, Ms. Edmunds was Market Research Manager for Xerox Engineering Systems and as Primary Research Specialist for Hewlett-Packard. What is a focus group? Focus groups are a form of qualitative research; a loosely structured means of obtaining opinions related to a specific topic. Groups usually consist of eight to ten people recruited and brought together based on pre-specified qualifications. Focus groups are typically conducted in-person at a research facility, but more recently telefocus groups (via telephone conferencing) and Internet focus groups have become more popular. Generally two or more focus groups are conducted as part of a given study in order to provide comparisons between groups for greater detail in the research analysis. When to Use Focus Groups There are a wide variety of uses for focus groups. The most common uses are: Testing advertising copy or marketing promotions Positioning products or services Testing new concepts Testing usability of a product Focus groups also can be used to generate ideas in a group brainstorming session. They are frequently utilized in developing questionnaires. By getting feedback in advance from people representative of those you hope to target with a survey, you can better word your questions and design clearer explanations of your concepts. When to Avoid Focus Groups While there are many instances where focus group research is helpful, there are equally as many situations where you should not use this methodology. Above all, it is important to remember that focus groups should not be used to make a final decision. Results of focus groups are not statistically valid and should be used more as a thermometer to test the temperature of the market rather than as a ruler to provide precise measurements. Likewise, the following represent good examples of when to avoid using focus groups: When you need a numerical response to questions like "what percentage…?" or "how many…?" Focus groups do not provide quantitative results. When you need to explore issues that are very personal or sensitive in nature. People are not really comfortable discussing personal topics in a group situation. When you want to set prices for your products or your services. Again, these results are not quantitative in nature hence it is not advisable to make final pricing decisions based on small group responses. When you cannot afford a survey. Focus groups are not a replacement for a survey. If what you really need are statistically valid results, consider a shorter survey or slightly reduced sample size, but do not rely on qualitative to give you the detail you require. When you want to validate internal decisions that cannot (or will not) be changed based on the results of the focus groups. If you will not be able to incorporate the results of the focus groups into product development, advertising design, etc., then there is no sense in conducting the groups in the first place. Finally, before you opt to conduct focus groups, be certain that your audience (those people who will review and use the results of the study) are completely familiar with the type of results focus groups produce. If they expect to receive detailed graphs and tables, it may be very difficult to explain how to use qualitative data that will seem more vague in comparison. Source: http://web.archive.org/web/20041026140011/http://www.marketingpower.com/content1293.php