- What is a Focus Group? The Focus Group is a qualitative technique for studying the opinions or attitudes of a specially selected audience regarding different elements of a product or service. As an introductory note, it can be said that the main objective of this activity is to know firsthand and analyze the different elements that impact the experience of a customer segment. It can also be applied to testing product prototypes, brands, slogans and even containers or packaging.
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- What Elements Are Evaluated in a Focus Group? Expectations, motivations and preferences: what the person expects in each interaction, what they are experiencing and what motivates them to do so.
I. Satisfying and dissatisfying: what you like or dislike when you relate to the company, what generates affinity or rejection in the customer, what happens or should happen to surprise you.
II. Effort: what degree of effort does it take for the customer to interact with the organization, what are the preferred channels and what is the experience experienced in them.
III. Moments of Truth: What are the most important or special moments for people and how they would like the company to support them or act there.
IV. Remember: What attributes are we generating in the customer in that specific interaction or interactions. What things are in our power to change to provide an exceptional experience.
- Qualitative Research MethodFocus groups, which are usually carried out in small groups of between 6 and 12 people, are used as a qualitative research technique. This means that by definition they do not pursue representation or reach generalized conclusions but, on the contrary, they seek, through this methodology, to achieve greater depth on a particular aspect of the product, service or interaction analyzed. They are especially relevant when working together with other quantitative techniques, since it is a tool that allows us to see beyond the coldest and most numerical data.
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- When to Do Them? It can be summarized in two main points that we must validate and that must necessarily be present:
I. When we are well aware of our target audience. It is important that the participants are chosen correctly. That they are current users or customers, or that they potentially could be. Although we will place greater emphasis on this topic on page 8, it is important to mention that, if a participant is not part of the target, their contribution is likely to be scarce. In some situations, its inclusion in the dynamic may turn out to be negative, since it will give unfounded opinions and will influence the opinion of the other participants without valid arguments.
II. When we have a clear definition of what information we expect to obtain from the Focus Group. It is key in this regard to be clear about the objective of the research. All the preparation and development of the dynamic must be oriented to the fulfillment of this objective. If the discussion loses focus, the moderator must redirect the conversation. In situations where it is not very clear what the objective of the dynamic is, a Focus Group may be too large and fail to provide significant insights.
Example: It is common to see this type of dynamic when we have performed Customer Journey Mapping and we seek to deepen or validate some of its stages. You can take satisfaction surveys about a moment of service (quantitative) and select a group of those who have responded to focus and better understand the reason for the result of the survey through a Focus Group (qualitative).
Example of Focus Group in The SimpsonsAlthough somewhat exaggerated, the scene in the following video exemplifies some common errors when carrying out a Focus Group dynamic, such as the participation of people inside the company, the generalization of results to the total target or target audience and closed questions without invitation to organized debate.
What do you think?
- lead a Focus Group for Excellent Insights. We would like you to learn more about this methodology. That's why we developed the DIY Emotional Focus Groups Guide, where you'll find:
How to add an Emotional Layer to the Focus Group and why. Izo question guide for a successful Focus Group. Animal characterization technique for identifying profiles and managing groups.When to do them (and when not) .Advantages of their implementation.How to plan a Focus Group and where.
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