Focus Groups

Focus Group

• Simple, easy to use research method
• Excellent approach to use during design
• Needs careful planning
• Similar to a focused interview but with a group of people
• Several groups often used during the course of design
  • Alpha - develop user requirements
  • Beta - responses to alternative designs or prototypes
  • Gama - evaluation of working prototype

Overview

• Used to get reactions to events, insight into personal experience
• Flexible approach to asking questions
• Provides qualitative information
• Not overly structured by investigator
• Useful to find out the respondents' definition of the situation - significant issues, strength of feelings, intentions, e.g. vandalism
• Useful to discover the critical variables of performance
• Useful to get feedback on design ideas and prototypes

Technique

• Focus on concrete situation, walking stairs
• Complete a preliminary task analysis (Zeisel calls it "stiutational analysis")
• Develop an interview guide - road map for discussion but not necessarily completed in order
• Select respondents - individuals or groups (heterogeneous or homogeneous)
• Develop a probing technique that does not lead respondents
• Situational stimuli, e.g. pictures, on site visits, products, etc.
• Record discussion - written notes, tape recording, video recording,
• Note emotion and body language as well as words

Threats to Quality of Information

• Access to information
• Depends on recall ability
• Self reports compromised by self image
• Leadership effects in groups

Planning Issues

• Recruit participants
  • Who
  • Availability
  • Transportation
  • Informed consent
  • Confidentiality
• Script development
  • What do you want to know
  • How to demonstrate or explain design
  • How best to answer the questions
  • Timing - order and amount of time
  • Response format
    • like/dislike
    • overall rating
    • feature comparison
    • feature importance rating
    • open ended comments
• Scheduling
• Room and furniture arrangement
• Name cards
• Beta - rapid prototypes
• Staffing
  • Moderator
  • Aides
  • Recorder
• Analyzing results
• Acceptability criteria - see Caplan
• What other sources of information needed, e.g. performance data
• Writing report

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