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Focus groups
A focus group is
an organised discussion with an 'expert' group of users,
customers or specialists. It typically aims to bring together the
attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and experiences of different
customers. A good way to gain a large amount of material in a
relatively short time. An especially effective way to evaluate
different concepts and explore new ideas.
Description
Focus groups are an effective way of evaluating and refining a
range of design concepts and prototypes, to encourage an
externalisation of the decision making process. However, they can
also provide valuable insights into perceptions and preferences
of existing or competitive products and can be a useful way of
exploring new requirements and desires.
General
approach
Objectives
It is critical that the objectives of the focus group are
clear and explicit. What new knowledge is hoped to be
gained? What do you hope to learn? The clearer the
objectives, the easier it will be to design the rest of
the session.
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facilitation
It takes time to organise a meeting, to develop an
agenda, a script, prepare materials, invite participants,
test the questions, organise a site and agree a date. The
session should no more than 3 hours and it is likely that
in a 2 hour session, there will be time for 5-6
questions. Questions should be open, enable discussion
and should be tested. A script will the session run
smoothly and should include an indication of where and
how the facilitator should probe further. Skilled
facilitation is essential. Either seek training or at
least practice first. It is important to create a good
atmosphere, prevent any destructive behaviour and
encourage participation. Most of all, the facilitator
needs to be impartial.
Who to invite?
A good session requires a small, but representative
sample of 'expert' participants to discuss a topic. These
'experts' may be potential or current customers (or
users), lead users, extreme users or possibly recognised
technical experts in the particular field. As a rule of
thumb, there should be between 6 and 12 people involved.
Sense check that the participants are appropriate for the
objectives of the session.
Location, atmosphere & equipment
The room is important - is it comfortable, does it have
the right atmosphere and does it set the right tone?
Typical materials include notepads, pencils, flipchart,
markers, tape, blu-tac™, post-it™ notes, name
tags, refreshments and a clock. Recording equipment is
essential, including tape or video.
Translating results into action
The focus group is only useful if the findings are
translated into action. Schedule a team meeting to review
the transcripts and summaries of the focus group or watch
the video. Refer to the objectives when drawing
conclusions and compare the findings to other research -
user observations or interviews.
Notes
- Can be expensive, especially
if customers are geographically dispersed
- Needs careful and skilful
facilitation - some experience in managing group
discussions is useful
- Can be beneficial to use
external, professional moderators
- Needs significant preparation
- Needs an independent note
taker / recorder
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