User Research: Focus Groups
Focus groups bring together a small number of users to explore their attitudes and opinions. A focus group can generate lively discussion about preliminary product concepts and can serve as a platform for brainstorming new ideas.
Focus groups are helpful when:
- You want to gauge consumers’ interest in new concepts before investing in design or development
- You have an interesting idea that users can help you expand and evolve
- You’re primarily interested in understanding people’s attitudes and opinions, rather than their behavior
Focus groups are traditionally used by market research companies to gather reactions to advertising campaigns and other communications. As a user experience firm, we expand on the standard approach to incorporate direct product or website manipulation, card sorts and other exercises into the sessions, capturing individual feedback as well as group discussion.
What to Expect
We conduct focus groups in a variety of settings. In addition to traditional market research facilities, we often host groups in conference rooms at client sites. At Centralis Lab we can accommodate groups in either a conference table or living room setting. Our Mobile Lab can be set up just about anywhere.
Most groups last approximately two hours. We’ll work with you to define your objectives for the research, and create a session plan that meets your needs. In the groups, we often present ideas to participants in the form of concept statements, flat screen mock-ups, semi-functional prototypes or interactive exercises. We also use brainstorming techniques to generate new product ideas.
All groups are planned, facilitated and analyzed by a team of two User Experience Specialists. As researchers and designers, we’re able to investigate interface questions thoroughly because we understand the implications for design. We articulate our findings through concrete direction and design recommendations.
Other Methods for Other Needs
Focus groups are well suited to gathering feedback on concepts, but other methods may be more appropriate depending on your objectives. To explore users’ behavior in addition to their attitudes and preferences, you may want to consider field studies or usability testing.