Focus Groups
summary | detail | methodology
- Why focus groups?
- Focus groups can be an effective way to learn about the needs, perceptions, and preferences of your customers to inform product design. Usability focus groups are especially valuable for learning about the target audiences for a product. Focus groups are useful when schedules are tight or information is sensitive.
- What are focus groups?
- Focus groups are discussion and activity sessions with groups of 6 to 10 people who have similar characteristics. After an initial discussion, the group typically breaks into subgroups of two to five people. These subgroups explore a product in a co-discovery manner, each with a facilitator. The full group then reconvenes to discuss the participants’ experiences.
- You can add group sessions to increase the diversity of participants informing your design.
- What does it take?
- Skilled group moderation—Unlike an individual usability session, a focus group requires a moderator who knows how to foster group discussion and individual contributions while managing session logistics.
- Time and place—Sessions can take place at your company, at Tec-Ed’s Midwest test facilities, or at a rented facility. Sessions are usually 90 minutes to 2 hours. We usually need 2–3 weeks of planning, preparation, and participant recruiting before conducting sessions.