Focus Groups

22 Pages 5470 Words

ew giving others few opportunities to express their views. A moderator can encourage others to speak, but the dominant individual might be difficult to suppress. Considerable group process skill is needed to conduct an effective, efficient focus group interview.
· Group dynamics - Groups often develop positive or negative personalities towards a product or concept. This, of course, affects the results that will be received. A moderator can attempt to balance the dynamics, but this would be a difficult task. It is advisable to use multiple group interviews to gain a broad range of responses.
· Questioning interviewees instead of discussion - An inexperienced moderator may solicit individual responses rather than allow the group to interact freely. This would defeat the purpose of a group interview.
· Reliance on isolated comments - Confirming decisions based on isolated comments by individuals is a common practice. The common tone or theme should be taken away from the group interview, not singular remarks.
· Order effect - The order in which concepts are presented to the group will affect the way the group members react. It is a good idea to alternate or change the way information is presented to different groups to gain a more balanced result.
Inappropriate purpose - Focus groups are not a substitute for other types of market research and should not be treated as such. The opinions of the individuals may not necessarily represent the views of the whole population.

What Is A Focus Group?
A focus group, or group interview, is an exploratory research method used to help companies gain a deeper understanding of their customers' and prospects' perceptions, feelings, motivations and desires. Focus groups are a well-respected means of gathering in-depth, qualitative information such as opinions and attitudes. Focus Groups bring six to twelve participants for an informal discussion lasting from one to two hours. The i...