A focus group is a face-to-face meeting with a sampling of customers that helps you learn about their needs and perspectives. Focus groups also enable your customers to find out more about your company. Show
Focus groups are not a substitute for understanding market problems, but they can supplement the process. You can use focus groups to validate a wide range of issues such as:
You can conduct focus groups at any time during the product lifecycle. Before conducting a focus group, ensure you understand your goals. Establishing objectives in advance provides a clear framework for you and your team, and will help you direct the discussion so that goals are met. For example, you might want to test the idea for a new product with participants in order to be able to clearly identify which target market most strongly identifies with that product. Advantages of focus groupsFocus groups offer the following advantages:
Limitations of focus groupsDespite the advantages listed above, focus groups are not appropriate in every situation. Bear in mind that they do have several limitations:
Identifying potential participantsAs with a beta program, identify the participants that would be most appropriate for your focus group. Depending on your goals for the session, you might want to include different types of participants. Example: If you seek an answer to a question about your strategic direction (“Do we want to move into this market?”), it might be wise to include representatives of your buyer persona. If you desire a product usability discussion (“Does this software meet the needs of sales personnel?”), you might want to include representatives of your user persona. Moderator’s roleThe moderator is responsible for running the focus group. The moderator’s role is to ensure that all participants have a chance to speak—this includes attempting to elicit comments from the more timid participants. The moderator should remain objective, and not present a bias toward an outcome, nor take a position or side with an individual participant. The moderator should also be skilled in conflict resolution to help the focus group proceed smoothly and guide the group back on topic if required. Running a successful focus groupThe following guidelines will help you run a successful focus group. Simplify the agendaThe agenda does not need to be complex (see the sample agenda below). Limit the session to a half a day so that you can use your participants’ time wisely. Collect feedbackAsk focus group members to consider the issue for several minutes and then write down their responses. Have each participant share his or her thoughts on the issue. Seek input from every member in the group, and promote discussion of their responses. Allow ideas to flowRemember that the best ideas arise from the culmination of participant ideas. Allow the conversation to flow naturally, as long as it stays on topic. Document itUse a flipchart to record the group’s responses for future reference. At the conclusion of the session, share resulting action items and notes with the participants. Sample focus group agendaFocus group objective: Your organization wants to explore a more expensive product line with additional features that appeal to a different market segment. You choose to hold a focus group to ask their perspectives. Use the following agenda to explore this question.
A focus group is best defined as a small group of carefully selected participants who contribute to open discussions for research. The hosting organization carefully selects participants for the study to represent the larger population they’re attempting to target. The group might look at new products, feature updates, or other topics of interest to generalize the entire population’s reaction. Focus group research includes a moderator. Their job is to ensure legitimate results and reduce bias in the discussions. In 1991, marketing and psychological expert Ernest Dichter coined the name “Focus Group”. The term described meetings held with a limited group of participants with the objective of discussion.
Focus groups possess a distinct advantage over other market research methods. They capitalize on the moderator’s communication with participants and the flexibility to move the discussion. It allows you to extract meaningful insights and opinions. The purpose of the group is not to arrive at a consensus or agreement on the topic. Instead, it seeks to identify and understand customer perceptions of a brand, product, or service. Best practices for focus group research:Follow these five steps to create a market research focus group.
Main pillars of a focus group:Participants: A crucial step in conducting a focus group is the process of participant selection. The main criteria for selecting the participants must be their knowledge about the subject. If you need help selecting members, look for a research-based organization that matches you with qualified participants. The role of a moderator: The moderator conducts the group with confidence and leads members through the questions. They must be impartial throughout the process. As the researcher, you can also be the moderator, so long as you remain objective. You can also hire a suitable professional moderator to run your focus group survey. Types of focus groupsYour choice of focus group depends on the needs of your research. Types include:
How To Conduct A Focus Group
A researcher must be careful while recruiting participants. Members need adequate knowledge of the topic so that they can add to the conversation. Your moderator should understand the topic of discussion and possess the following qualities:
Verify your moderator doesn’t know any of the participants. Existing relationships between a member and moderator cause bias and can skew your data.
While conducting a focus group, it is essential to record the sessions or meetings. A researcher can record the discussion through audio or video. You must let participants know you’re planning to record the event and get their consent.
Before the session starts, it is crucial to write down clear session guidelines. Include key questions, expectations of focus group members, whether you’re recording the discussion, and methods of sharing results. Give out the instructions in advance and request participants to comply with them.
Once participants understand their role, the moderator leads the focus group survey. You can ask members to fill out a feedback form to collect quantitative data from the event. Use your data and generate reports on the overall findings of your study.
Share your report with stakeholders and decision makers in your organization. A good report helps you design actionable plans to improve products or services according to the focus group feedback. Update focus group members on the changes you make and the results of those changes. Focus group examplesFocus groups are common in three situations:
For example, a laptop company needs customer feedback about an upcoming product. Focus group research provides direct information about the market from actual consumers. The company chooses eight individuals who represent their target market for a constructive discussion. The moderator asks questions regarding customer preference on laptop size and features. Group members discuss why they do or do not like certain aspects of a laptop. The company uses the opinions of the participants to create a product that fits customer needs and wants. Focus group questionsQuestions to recruit participants 1. Do you or any of your family members work in any of the following sectors? 2. Select your age range: 3. Kindly select your employment type: 4. Please specify your level of education: 5. Please state your family status: Our focus group recruitment questionnaire template gives you a range of survey questions for maximum responses. These responses also help you make the best choice in recruiting the appropriate group members. Focus group question examplesWhen using a focus group in marketing research, you must ask the right questions for accurate results. Good focus group questions have the following characteristics:
Avoid asking questions to specific individuals to ensure the inclusion of all participants. Restrict discussion time per question to 5-20 minutes to keep the conversation efficient. There are four categories of focus group questions: 1. Primary question: This first open-ended question initiates the entire discussion. Example:
2. Probe questions: These questions dig deeper into the discussion of the primary question. For example,
3. Questions to follow-up: After establishing the overall knowledge and feelings of the group, the moderator identifies specific insights. For example:
4. Questions for the conclusion: Review previous questions to avoid overlooking the main points. It is the time when a moderator can revisit specific topics to gather more data. For example,
Focus group advantages:
Best Online Focus Group Software: QuestionPro CommunitiesOnline focus groups remove the need for a physical location. Like in-person groups, online groups involve 6-10 participants who share their opinions. Many researchers prefer online focus groups for convenience and cost-effectiveness. QuestionPro Communities is an online focus group software. It’s a highly-effective market research tool that helps researchers find online focus groups for their research purposes. QuestionPro Communities software include: Discussions Organizations invite participants to a moderated online discussion forum. Participants may answer questions at any time suitable to them. Idea Board Idea Board allows respondents to share their ideas. Other group members can analyze, write feedback, and even vote on submissions. Topics Users can submit topics, cast their votes in existing posts, and leave comments or feedback instantly. QuestionPro Communities is the only online focus group software available on desktop and mobile. Go mobile and take Discussions, Idea Board, and Topics anywhere your respondents go. Start conducting online focus group surveys with participants from across the globe with QuestionPro Communities today. |