Focus Groups
Uncover thoughts and attitudes from your target customer.
Focus groups have long been used to elicit unprompted reactions or ideas from a group of deliberately selected people. You’ve probably seen a focus group depicted in a commercial or movie: a group of people are gathered around a large table in a conference room and are asked questions by a moderator.
Focus groups, unlike surveys, allow deeper probing of people’s comments. The conversations and debate between group members can also serve as a means for brainstorming, thus eliciting new ideas.
The main advantages of focus groups are speed and cost: compared to multiple one-on-one interviews, a focus group can collect numerous opinions in a relatively short period of time. Also, focus groups can occur at any time during the development life cycle but are most impactful when completed in the needs assessment or concept phase of your website or application.
Our approach to focus groups
Usability Sciences can conduct focus groups in its custom-built, state-of-the-art facility or at a facility of your choice.
ONE: We start by working with you to understand your research objectives, identify your target audience and determine which topics to focus on during the group discussions.
TWO: Your assigned research team will then develop a customized focus group plan, which includes the discussion topics and facilitator questions that will be used to ensure all necessary feedback is gathered during the focus group sessions.
THREE: In parallel, Usability Sciences’ in-house recruiting team will screen and schedule participants who meet your target audience.
FOUR: Focus group sessions (the recommended number of groups is 3) are 90 to 120 minutes long and can be conducted within a single day or over several consecutive days. Each focus group session includes 6-8 participants.
FIVE: After the focus groups are completed, the results are analyzed and compiled into a report, which contains findings regarding user attitudes and preferences on the discussed topics.
What to expect from focus groups
The results you get back from a focus group depends on the discussion, but most research findings are robust and can answer a lot of questions you may have. A successful focus group or series of focus groups can identify the feelings, perceptions and thoughts consumers may have about your product, service or solution.
Focus groups will help you answer the following questions:
- How is your concept or idea perceived?
- How would your target customers improve the concept?
- Which features are of highest value?
- What are your target customers’ needs?
The information obtained from focus groups can also be used to support other research efforts, such as the evaluation and development of your website’s taxonomy.
Ready to get started?
Contact us for a preliminary consultationThe issues that will impact your business’s future are out there. Let us help you identify them and guide you and your team to the solutions and insights you need to overcome them. Contact our team today.