Focus groups

When is this method appropriate?

Group discussions are qualified to ascertain attitudes, expectations and positions of customers, users and experts towards products (for example websites, web-applications, software) and for gaining first ideas. The weekday alike communication situations inside the group arises an “atmosphere of revealment”. By this a complex involvement with the topic and a variety of aspects and point of views arise. Interpretation and operation coherencies can be concluded by the sense coherency of the attendees. Emotional backgrounds of utterances and hidden expectations are detected. By the use of creativity techniques a lot of new ideas and suggestions can be developed.

Possible questions:

• Do the users understand the new concept (particularly interaction processes)?
• How would the users like to design your website or single functionalities?
• How can already existing functions and features of your website be optimised?
• How can new, innovative concepts or features be implemented user-friendly? Do any models already exist?
• What contents, functions and services could one additionally offer (gaining ideas)?

And many more…

In what project phase applicable?

• Analysis
  Group discussions are an ideal platform for interviews or statements, which could possibly lead to deeper insights of other users or developers. They can be the ideal beginning for the development process. That means either they function as a kind of idea-pool (innovation workshop) or as an additional method during the requirement analysis (for instance by a panel survey or an onsite survey).
  Focus groups can already be implemented if the first screens or wireframes (schematic illustration of a website) are available. If the focus groups only consist of experts, abstract verbalised concept descriptions are normally adequate.

What is the procedure of this method?

Focus groups are a market-research technique that can be applied in usability engineering. Thereby potential users from a homogeneous target group discuss about (new) website concepts and work out pointed optimisation recommendations or new ideas within in a moderated group discussion (the moderator is either a usability-expert or a member of the development team) and approaches to a problem by using creative techniques.

To arise the level of the moderated discussion from an abstract to an illustrated level the following strategies are applied:

• Using stimuli: e. g. attendees have a look at layouts of the new website or they see the forerunner version to cause food for thoughts and ideas.
• “Active phases”: thereby the attendees can design a new or adjust an already existing website together.
• Projections: by questions like for instance “What would you change if you were responsible for this website?”

Optionally, this discussion takes place with experts. Generally, it is also possible to implement this discussion in terms of an online focus group via the internet. What matters is that in both variants the topics and aspects are determined before.

Strengths of this method:

• Achieves high creative group dynamics.
• Allows a high generation of ideas.
• Generates a lot of data within a short space of time.

What about the sample size?

The optimal number of attendees in each group adds up to 6 to 8 people. It is advisable to implement 2 to 3 focus groups with different sub-groups (among themselves heterogeneous but itself homogeneous).

How much time takes the implementation?

Depending on the sample size the study can be implemented within 2 to 3 weeks.

What input do you have to provide?

Optimally you come to our premises with concrete questions and/or site areas which we can carefully examine and thematise during the evaluation. We would like to work out with you this kind of questions. Thereby we draw on our comprehensive project experiences.

In addition, we need the first screens or wireframes (schematic illustration of a website) of the concept or its new function that is supposed to be focused in the discussion. If the focus group consist of experts, we just need an abstract verbalised concept description. If required, we support you to create or plan new concepts.

What do you receive from us?

You receive an interpretive result report with the following contents:

• Management summary
• Detailed illustration of the results based on observation and survey data.
• Data interpretation: identification of reasons and causes for the ascertained data.
• Concrete guidance and design recommendations to solve identified usability and design problems of already existing functions and services or to implement new ideas and concepts.These recommendations are verbal described and if necessary visual-functional implemented (for instance in terms of optimised wireframes or clickable prototypes).

On demand we present the results and findings of the study within a moderated workshop.

Do you have any further questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us! We would like to consult you.