Focus group
Description
Focus groups are a form of qualitative research. They provide marketing managers, product managers, and market researchers with a great deal of helpful information. A focus group is a structured discussion in which a small group of people (usually 5-12), led by a trained facilitator, discuss their perceptions, opinions, attitudes, and experiences. These groups of people are part of a discussion of selected topics of interest in an informal setting which typically lasts about two hours. Participants are free to talk with other group members as the discussions are loosely structured and the moderator encourages the free flow of ideas. The moderator will be given an outline which will consist of a few specific questions prepared prior to the focus group. These questions will then start up open-ended discussions.
History
- Focus groups existed before World War II.
- Focus groups were very common among marketers in the 1950’s.
- Focus groups were rediscovered by social scientists in the 1980’s.
- Focus groups became popular in the 1990’s during President Clinton’s time in office.
Principle Use
To be able to get perceptions, opinions, attitudes, and experiences of different individuals in a one time structured discussion.
Advantages
- Allow interviewers to study people in a more natural setting than a one-to-one interview – encourages participation from people who do not like to be interviewed on their own.
- Since the data is easy to understand, the results are believable.
- Low in cost.
- Get results relatively quickly.
- Can encourage contributions from those who feel they have nothing to say.
- Can aid businesses in decision making and in the development of marketing strategies and promotional campaigns.
- Individuals build on each other’s ideas and comments.
- Useful for identifying participant’s needs.
Shortcomings
- Requires a trained facilitator.
- Quality of the discussion depends on the skill level of the facilitator.
- Generates a lot of qualitative data that may be difficult to analyze.
- Outspoken people may dominate discussion.
- Time may be lost on issues irrelevant to the topic.
Examples in Informatics
http://firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_7/killingsworth/index.html
http://www.aapspharmaceutica.com/inside/focus_groups/Data/index.asp
http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/capstone/project.asp?project=55
http://www.mhsip.org/reinvent/reinventing.html
http://www.cdlib.org/inside/assess/evaluation_activities/mylibrary_focusgroup.html
http://www.managementhelp.org/evaluatn/focusgrp.htm
Eysenbach, G., Kohler, C. (2002). How do consumers search for and appraise health information on the world wide web? Qualitative study using focus groups, usability tests, and in-depth interviews. BMJ 324: 573-577 [Abstract] [Full text]
The Focus Group Guidebook, David L. Morgan, Sage Publications
Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research, Richard A. Krueger, Sage Publications
