It is an inexpensive and fast method of acquiring valuable data. This methodology brief focuses only on focus group design and will not discuss its integration into an overall study. Advantages of online focus groups people from all over the country or even the world can participate, and the client can observe the group from the convenience of the home or office. In this case, the idea is to use a small number of exploratory groups, in an initial stage of the research, to guide the construction of the topics of the interview. As long as the disadvantages are equally weighed with the advantages that focus groups provide, the. What is a focus group and how can it benefit your market research. A total of 14 respondents participated in the focus groups.
Schneider, kerwin, frechtling, and vivari 2002 found that ftf focus group participants are more likely to discuss their opinions and insights in detail than those participating in online textonly focus groups, and moore, mckee, and mc loughlin 2015 found that lack of human interaction was the main limitation to online textonly focus groups. Focus groups are one of the most effective and frequently used market research. Focus group is an important research method, here we list the advantages and disadvantages of such research method. Toolkit for conducting focus groups, provided by omni, is a great resource intended to assist in conducting focus groups and enhance ones facilitation skills. Disadvantages of focus groups marketing research assignment. Oct 05, 2017 advantages and disadvantages of focus groups todays market researcher has an embarrassment of tools available to them, yet one research option has stood the test of time the focus group. The researcher can interact with the participants, pose followup questions or ask questions that probe more deeply. Oct 24, 2014 online focus groups ofgs are increasingly used as a method of data collection. Marketing firms use focus groups to determ i n e how customers respond to new pro d u c t s. Dec 11, 2012 in the marketing, focus groups are seen as an important tool for acquiring feedback. Very useful to help you gain detailed insight into your potential customers opinions and perceptions of your new business idea. Focus groups are often a very costly exercise with the client company having to pay for such expenses as. S u r vey designers use focus groups to pre t e s t their ideas and to interpret the quantitative i n f o r mation obtained from interv i e w i n g. There can be focus groups for anything product focus groups, service improvement focus groups or merely idea generation.
Being able to work face to face with a range of people, of different demographics can give a more real insight into their opinions and help businesses to get to know their customers better. Less expensive and time consuming than holding a series of oneonone interviews. Focus group interviews are more interesting than standard interviews, what cause longer and more revealing answers. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the nature of the fg, analyse its advantages and disadvantages and identify the cognitive problems that it helps to face. Marketing researchers employ a variety of tools, including oneonone interviews, written surveys and polling to track consumer opinion. A test to verify the adequacy of focus groups consists of asking how active and easily the participants would discuss the topic of interest in the research morgan, 1988.
Coworkers and friends are more comfortable in voicing views in each others company than on their own with the researcher. Topics covered in this publication include focus group basics, preparing for the focus group, developing effective questions, planning the focus group session and analyzing the data. Being able to work face to face with a range of people, of different demographics can give a more real insight into their opinions and help. The difference between quality data and data with bias depends on how people are screened and the data is treated. We investigated ofg participants preference for participation in an ofg or a facetoface focus group ftf, as well as their perceptions of the advantages of both methods. Advantages and limitations of focus groups howstuffworks. So, this way the meetings by the focus groups prove fruitful and productive. However, such a widespread use of fg seems to have become a fashionable research technique. Two approaches to focus group data collection for qualitative. Advantages, disadvantages, and lessons learned in conducting telephone focus groups to discuss biospecimen research concerns of individuals genetically at risk for cancer abstract advances in telecommunication technology allow biomedical researchers to explore new, inexpensive opportunities for conducting focus group research. Focus groups have been widely used in health research in recent years to explore the perspectives of patients and other groups in the health care system e. The reason that focus groups have become popular in recent years is partly because they are seen as the method which can provide results quickly kroll et al.
Indepth interviewing can take place facetoface, or in some cases over the phone. The impression is that fg is often adopted without any prior consideration of whether it. Online focus group advantages and disadvantages mrqual. In the marketing, focus groups are seen as an important tool for acquiring feedback. More accurate information opinions or ideas can be refined by the group.
Focus groups concentrate on a clearly defined topic, and efforts are made to gather information and opinions from group members. Advantages focus group brings interaction between participants highlights their view of the world. Nov 14, 2018 the results of the focus group interviews helped us design parent lounges that met the unique needs of parents who often spend days, weeks or even months with a sick child in the hospital. Jun 08, 2012 rationale for focus groupswhen people gather to talk about something, their contributions and understandings will be enriched by the group dynamic. Focus groups group of people with a moderator to discuss a particular topic, concept or product is called focus group. Cousins 2009to display and discuss differences in a group. The group of participants is guided by a moderator or group facilitator who introduces topics for discussion and helps the group to participate in a lively and natural discussion amongst.
Lewis 2003 focus groups are for sharing and comparing 3. Using focus groups to gather qualitative data on the customer experience is a widely used marketing strategy which allows organizations to develop products and services that meet customer requirements. The primary benefit of using a focus group is that it levels the playing field of a demographic. Firstly, they allow spatiotemporally separated participants to join the discussion from their home and at a convenient time. Jul 16, 2019 focus group methodology generates distinct ethical challenges that do not correspond fully to those raised by onetoone interviews. There are however issues with focus groups that people should be aware of. All these are discussed in the meeting and all the members put forth their concepts. Beside that primary data can be obtained through focus groups, panels and unobtrusive measures. The first is synchronous, which means realtime or live groups, conducted via video or chat. Apr 11, 2016 ultimately, the study design either online focus groups or inperson focus groups will depend on the particular research question and participant sample that a company has.
Focus group discussion overseas development institute. Focus groups are often portrayed as heartless in fiction, but in real life they remain a useful feedback method. What is the purpose and advantages of focus group interviews. It has become the subject of important methodological discussions and it is now considered a very innovative research method. What are some of the disadvantages of using focus groups.
Identify relationship and task advantages and disadvantages of working in groups versus individually. Ultimately, the study design either online focus groups or inperson focus groups will depend on the particular research question and participant sample that a company has. Have you ever been asked to try out a product before it is released, so long as you give your opinion on that product. What are the advantages and disadvantages of focus group.
The use of focus groups in social science research focus groups originated in sociology merton and kendall 1946 were primarily used by market researchers in recent years templeton 1987 and are increasingly being used as a research tool in the social sciences. Focus group learn about different types of focus groups. Oct 24, 2014 ofgs have several advantages compared to traditional facetoface focus groups ftfs, for participants as well as researchers 2, 6, 7, 11, while producing similar amounts and quality of information. Mar 26, 2017 created using powtoon free sign up at youtube create animated videos and animated presentations for free. A focus group discussion fgd is a good way to gather together people from similar backgrounds or experiences to discuss a specific topic of interest. They may not represent all of the various subgroups in your population. All the participants are between 20 to 25 years old who is currently studying or recently graduated from a large private tertiary education provider. However, for the latter to be effective and to deliver reliable information, the interviewer must be highly skilled to prevent data loss. Nov 30, 2015 advantages of online focus groups people from all over the country or even the world can participate, and the client can observe the group from the convenience of the home or office. In this article, we look at online focus group advantages and disadvantages compared with facetoface focus groups.
The more recent popularity of focus groups in qualitative research in the health and social sciences is reflected in an increased number of papers and books. The focus group fg technique has been recently rediscovered by social scientists. How to validate your retail business idea with a focus. Indepth interviews are a qualitative data collection method that involves direct, oneonone engagement with individual participants. Focus group usually refer to a group of 10 or fewer volunteers who gather to discuss a particular product or idea. The pros and cons of focus groups show that there can be a lot of valuable information gathered from this type of survey method. A simple costbenefit analysis reveals that online focus groups possess several economic advantages over their realworld counterparts.
Participants respond and share information through online means. Download scientific diagram advantages and disadvantages of the focus group. S u r vey designers use focus groups to pre t e s t their ideas and to interpret the quantitative i n. C hapter 10 online focus groups university of alaska system. Competitive advantage relies on being ahead of the game, and focus groups give organizations the ability to gather insightful information faster than individual interviews or interpreting and analyzing thousands of survey responses. In order to discuss these two points, i will focus on the two main characteristics that differentiate the fg from other techniques of information gathering in social research.
The term focus group was created by ernest dichter, a famous market expert and psychologist. A growing literature on the setting up and running of focus groups for social. Methodological aspects of focus groups in health research. Focus groups are a cheaper means of obtaining information compared to individual interviews. They are usually a small group that, as the name suggests, focuses on a single product or idea, with the.
Focus group methodology generates distinct ethical challenges that do not correspond fully to those raised by onetoone interviews. The final study design will be carefully crafted to maximize the type of data. When used as a survey method, the focus group approach presents various pros, strengths and. It used to be argued that slavery was abolished simply because it had ceased to be profitable, but all the evidence points the other way. Ofgs have several advantages compared to traditional facetoface focus groups ftfs, for participants as well as researchers 2, 6, 7, 11, while producing similar amounts and quality of information. The group of participants is guided by a moderator or group facilitator who introduces topics for discussion and helps the group to. Focus groups typically involve a moderatorled group discussion with between eight and 10 people. Online versus inperson focus groups interq research. Advantages of asynchronous online focus groups and faceto. Also, participating in a focus group causes people to react differently than they would otherwise. Public agencies find focus groups an import a n t tool in improving customer serv i c e. Created using powtoon free sign up at youtube create animated videos and animated presentations for free. Advantages focus group interviews the thriving small. Although their advantages for research have repeatedly been described, participants opinions about ofgs have seldom been studied.
Advantages of conducting a focus group interview are the flexibility in questioning, the encouragement of dialogue and exchange of ideas, the generation of hypotheses, being relatively fast and inexpensive and producing findings in a form that most users fully. Members of the focus groups are chosen on the basis of their expertise on the topicconceptproduct. The members of the focus groups discuss the ideas, the beliefs and the opinions of the product or the service, concepts, ideas, advertisement or the packaging. Main advantages for zazen by choosing this tool are. A great moderator of focus groups can understand people and their nonconscious body cues. Merton, a sociologist and the associate director of the bureau of applied social research headed the first focus groups in the united states. These sessions with consumers are used to solicit the customer perspectives and opinions about new ideas, products or services either being offered or in product development focus group participants are asked questions in an interactive setting and are encouraged to discuss. Research methods, focus groups and marketing researchgate, the. The principal challenge in obtaining consent lies in giving a clear account of what will take place in the group, owing to.
As can be inferred from the above description, the focus group format has several advantages. Aug 16, 2011 using focus groups to gather qualitative data on the customer experience is a widely used marketing strategy which allows organizations to develop products and services that meet customer requirements. Online focus groups are done to reach a broader range of participants. Online focus groups ofgs are increasingly used as a method of data collection. The final study design will be carefully crafted to maximize the type of data and discussions that will further the goal of the project. Focus groups allow businesses to directly engage with their customers. Customer expectations are a moving target so it is important to stay on top of understanding the customer perspective. This paper explores, in both conceptual and practical terms, three key issues.
Advantages, disadvantages, and lessons learned in conducting. Focus groups can be integrated into an overall study design or can occur individually when a specific topic is being explored. The second is asynchronous, which means not in realtime. First, you have to remember that a focus group is only a representative sample of your population. Three focus groups were conducted over a period of 2 months, one preliminary focus group and two subsequent groups. The advantages and disadvantages in the use of focus groups as a method of data collection.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups. Our guide to market research can be downloaded free of charge. Rationale for focus groupswhen people gather to talk about something, their contributions and understandings will be enriched by the group dynamic. Focus groups typically involve a moderatorled group. Fg is particularly suited to be used when the objective is to understand better how people consider an experience, idea, or event, because the discussion in the. Socioeconomic differences, educational levels, and other distinguishing characteristics that could potentially skew the data are removed because everyone becomes an equal contributor to the group. A focus group is basically research that organizations do to gather information. Students should learn to understand their own conditions to choose the best research method for their study. Following are the main advantages of focus group discussion in research. These sessions with consumers are used to solicit the customer perspectives and opinions about new ideas, products or services either being offered or in product development focus group participants are asked questions in an interactive setting and are encouraged to discuss thoughts. When used as a survey method, the focus group approach presents various pros, strengths and benefits, as well as cons, weaknesses and drawbacks. Used with all of the above, a focus group is an integral part of gauging public perceptions.