Focus Group and Experience Survey

7/30/2019 Focus Group and Experience Survey

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FOCUS GROUP ANDEXPERIENCE SURVEY


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Focus Group InterviewMeaning: A focus group interview is an unstructured, free-

flowing interview with a small group ofpeople,usually between six and ten.

Focus groups are led by a trained moderator whofollows a flexible format encouraging dialogueamong respondents.

Common focus group topics include employee

programs, employee satisfaction, brand meanings,problems with products, advertising themes, ornew-product concepts.


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It is a flexible format that encourages

discussion of say, a labour issue, reactions to apolitical candidate or a new product concept.

The focus group interview has become so

popular that many research agencies considerit to be the only exploratory research tool.

Focus groups are a very important qualitative

research technique and deserve considerablediscussion.


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ADVANTAGES Primary advantages are:

Relatively brief, easy to execute, quicklyanalyzed and inexpensive

It is very flexible.


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Specific advantages: Synergy:

The combined effort of the group willproduce a wider range of information, insights,

and ideas than will the cumulation of separatelysecured responses of a number of individuals.

Serendipity:

It is more often the case in a group than in an

individuals interview that some ideas will dropout of the blue. The group also affords theopportunity to develop the idea to its fullsignificance.


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Scrutiny:

The group interview permits closer scrutiny inthe following ways:

1. The session can be observed by several

people.2. The session can be tape recorded or

videotaped. Later the detailed examination of

the recorded session can offer additionalinsights and help clear up disagreements

about what happened.


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Structure:The group interview affords more control

than the individual interview with regard to thetopics covered and the depth in which they aretreated. The moderator has the opportunity toreopen topics that received too shallow adiscussion when initially presented.

Speed:

The group interview permits securing a givennumber of interviews more quickly than doesinterviewing individual respondents.


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FOCUS GROUP ILLUSTRATIONFocus groups often are used for conceptscreening and concept refinement. The concept may

be continually modified, refined, and retested untilmanagement believes it is acceptable.

While RJRs initial attempts at smokelesscigarettes failed in the United States, Philip Morris isdeveloping a smokeless cigarette for the U.K. market.Focus groups are being used to help understand howthe product will be received and how it might be

improved. The voluntary focus group respondentsare presented with samples of the product and thenthey discuss it among themselves.


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The interview results suggest that the key

product features that must be conveyed are thefact that it produces no ashes, no side smoke, andvery little odor. These beliefs are expected to leadto a positive attitude. Focus group respondentsshow little concern about how the cigaretteactually functioned. Smokers believe they will usethe product if nonsmokers are not irritated bybeing near someone using the electroniccigarette.

Thus, the focus groups are useful in refiningthe product and developing a theory of how itshould be marketed.


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When the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention tested public serviceannouncements about

AIDS through focus groups, it discovered thatsingle-race groups and racially diverse groups

reacted differently. By conducting separate focus groups, the

organization was able to gain important

insights about which creative strategies weremost appropriate for targeted versus broadaudiences


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For example, for focus groups

regarding employee satisfaction, we mightwant to recruit homogeneous groups based on

position in the organization. The researcher may

find that entry-level employees have very

different perspectives and concerns than those of

middle or upper-level management. Also, it is

fully understandable that employees might be

hesitant to criticize their supervisors. Therefore,researchers may consider interviewing different

levels of employees in separate groups.


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ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:A focus group session may typically take place at

the research agency in a room specifically designed forthis purpose. Research suppliers that specialize inconducting focus groups operate from commercial

facilities that have videotape cameras in observationrooms behind two-way mirrors and microphonesystems connected to tape recorders and speakers toallow greater scrutiny as discussed above.Refreshments are provided to help create a more

relaxed atmosphere conducive to a free exchange ofideas. More open and intimate reports of personalexperiences and sentiments can be obtained underthese conditions.


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THE FOCUS GROUP MODERATOR Who is a Moderator?

A person who leads a focus group interview

and ensures that everyone gets a chance to

speak and contribute to the discussion.

The moderator essentially runs the focus

group and plays a critical role in its success.


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Qualities of a Moderator:

1. The moderator must be able to developrapport with the group to promote

interaction among all participants.

2. The moderator must be a good listener.3. The moderator must try not to interject his

or her own opinions.

4. The moderator must be able to controldiscussion without being overbearing.


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INTERACTIVE MEDIA AND ONLINEFOCUS GROUPSThe term online focus group refers to a

qualitative research effort in which a group of

individuals provides unstructured comments by

entering their remarks into an electronic Internetdisplay board of some type, such as a chat-room

session or in the form of a blog. Because

respondents enter their comments into thecomputer, transcripts of verbatim responses are

available immediately after the group session.


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online focus groupA qualitative research effort in which a

group of individuals provides unstructured

comments by entering their remarks into an

electronic Internet display board of sometype.

Online groups can be quick and cost

efficient.


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DISADVANTAGES OF FOCUSGROUPS1. Focus groups require objective, sensitive, and

effective moderators. It is very difficult for amoderator to remain completely objective aboutmost topics.

2. Some unique sampling problems arise with focusgroups. Researchers often select focus groupparticipants because they have similar backgroundsand experiences or because screening indicates thatthe participants are more articulate or gregariousthan the typical consumer. Such participants may notbe representative of the entire target market. Thus,focus group results are not intended to berepresentative of a larger population.


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3. Although not so much an issue with online

formats where respondents can remainanonymous, traditional face-to-face focus

groups may not be useful for discussing

sensitive topics.

4. Focus groups do cost a considerable amount

of money, particularly when they are not

conducted by someone employed by the

company desiring the focus group.


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FOCUS GROUPS AS DIAGNOSTICTOOLS Focus groups are perhaps the predominant

means by which business researchers

implement exploratory research designs.

Focus groups also can be helpful in later

stages of a research project, particularly when

the findings from surveys or other

quantitative techniques raise more questionsthan they answer.


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Focus groups are also excellent diagnostic

tools for spotting problems with ideas. For instance, idea screening is often done with

focus groups

Managers who are puzzled about the meaning

of survey research results may use focusgroups to better understand what survey

results indicate.

In such a situation, the focus group suppliesdiagnostic help after quantitative research hasbeen conducted.


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Depth InterviewsAn alternative to a focus group is a depth

interview. A depth interview is a one-on-oneinterview between a professional researcher

and a research respondent.Depth interviews are much the same as apsychological, clinical interview, but with adifferent purpose. The researcher asks many

questions and follows up each answer withprobes for additional elaboration


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Ladderingis a term used for a particular

approach to probing, asking respondents tocompare differences between brands at

different levels.

Each depth interview may last more than an

hour. Thus, it is a time-consuming process ifmultiple interviews are conducted.

Each interview produces about the sameamount of text as does a focus group

interview. This has to be analyzed andinterpreted by the researcher.


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Depth interviews provide more insight into a

particular individual than do focus groups. Depth interviews are particularly advantageous

when some unique or unusual behavior is being

studied. For instance, depth interviews have been

usefully applied to reveal characteristics of

adolescent behavior, ranging from the waysthey get what they want from their parents to

shopping, smoking, and shoplifting.


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Depth interviews are similar to focus groups in

many ways.

The costs are similar if only a few interviews are

conducted.

Otherwise it is costlier than the Focus group

interview.


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thank you

Documents

Focus Group and Experience Survey