It allows everyone to consider answers that they normally wouldnt have thought about by themselves, giving the moderator a complete set of information to use as they bring a concept to the marketplace. 6. 5. A group interview . With each participant given roughly 9 minutes to speak, focus group discussions can last for a total of 90 minutes. 1. A focus group allows people to be reasonably anonymous. Famously coined by George Orwell in his dystopian novel 1984, groupthink describes a phenomenon where people feel a pressure to conform to the ideals or standards of a group regardless of whether they actually share those views or not! These people provide every group of people their energy, perspective, and skill in offering follow up opportunities. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Focus Group Interview. And as youve seen, the answer isnt so simple. Module 4 Case Assignment Questions: This advantage leads to a valuable variety of information that is usable when generalizing the findings achieved to the general population. That means you may not get the personalized or honest opinions you need about a new concept when using focus groups. How Transcribe Lingo Rescued a Major Law Firm, The Best Zoom Transcription Service to Transcribe Zoom Meetings, 17 Businesses & Professionals That Need Transcription The Most, University Transcription Services: Uses, Benefits, and Types. We highlight in particular one academic research byGrnkjr et al. While focus groups are useful when it comes to collecting data about group dynamics, in-depth interviews allow researchers to deep dive into individual respondents answers to collect more useful and accurate data. The individuals who participate in these gatherings can provide immediate ideas that may improve the concepts being introduced through this medium. It is a bandwagon effect. This approach allows the participants to focus on the information being presented and offer their opinions on each concept. 5D`4=]~bI 1. Rest, it will depend on your budget and business settings whether B2C or B2B which will determine whether to go with focus groups or one-on-one interviews. 1. So read on for our list of the six draw cards and six drawbacks of focus groups. So it is quite challenging to maintain the flow of the conversation in control. 8. Abstract The Focus Group ( FG) has been actually employed by marketing, and is becoming importanct also in other areas; such as, education, health, management, decision-making, and information. Recruited respondents are asked various open-ended questions by market researchers in order to collect insightful and in-depth answers. This may result in not acquiring a true in depth information. Did it achieve what it was supposed, IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS Most market research institutes have indeed removed the costly part of the process (i.e. Moderators try to temper this disadvantage by asking specific questions to each person so that individual feedback gets encouraged, but there will always be a few people who have an aggressive approach to providing feedback. Not only does this allow numerous viewpoints to emerge, but it helps cut down the time, hassle, and costs associated with data collection and aggregation. Crucially, where this differs from research conducted through surveys or phone interviews is that youre not only getting a persons opinions, but their reactions, too. That means the quality of the information gathered from this research process may not have the same levels of validity. The results from the focus group may not represent the larger population. Learn more about Expert Market and what we do to help businesses succeed. A key advantage of focus groups is that they take place face-to-face. Besides talking about the job requirements, candidates or recruiters start to compare their opinions and views. There is no predetermined list of questions to work through in this situation although one may need to have a clear idea about the aspects or aspects that one may want to explore. That means theyll usually be not only more engaged than your average market research respondent, but may even be willing to do it for nothing. And each method has its advantages and disadvantages and that largely depends on how researchers see fit. It functions with the help of a skilled moderator who facilitates a discussion with a small, selected group of participants for a specific amount of time. Quick turnaround and accurate translations, totally worth the price as it was handled by professionals experienced in legal documentation. Political analysis is also possible with this approach. Your email address will not be published. Similarly, mind and intelligence games can improve the cognitive abilities of individuals by improving their basic reasoning and problem-solving skills. A focus group usually gather around 8 participants for 2 hours. Moderators used guided questions, open discussions, or both to look at new products or ideas to determine what the potential reaction would be if the concept got introduced to the entire population. The more direct, face-to-face nature of focus groups allows you a richer sense of your customers needs and desires particularly when the alternative is filling in a form, or ticking a few boxes. Unlike focus groups, the respondents in in-depth interviews are hired by the market research firm. Several focus group advantages and disadvantages are worth considering if a business has a new concept that it wants to bring to the marketplace. 7. encourage open-ended responses. This approach uses an interview where groups get asked about their beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and perceptions toward packaging, products, services, ideas, advertisements, and more. A Focus Group Discussion aims to be more than a question-answer interaction. Crucially, where this differs from research conducted through surveys or phone interviews is that you're not only getting a person's opinions, but their reactions, too. Focus group interview questions include questions about the product under study that are being posed to the participants. They just present a unique logistical challenge that may not be worth the investments required to host them. According to Dr. S. M. Amunuzzaman, "Interview is a very systematic method by which a person enters deeply into the life of even a stranger and can bring out needed information and data for the research purpose.". Some people dont like being around a stranger, which means this benefit wouldnt apply to them. the second problem which is another employee named Todd and considers why these problems may have happened in the first place, 2006). Its this why that intimate knowledge of what makes your audience tick that will play a pivotal role in shaping the direction and strategy of your business in the months and years ahead. Moderators can counter this disadvantage by encouraging responses to open-ended questions, but it is still a personal choice to get involved. 1st & 2nd Floors, Wenlock Works1A Shepherdess WalkLondon N1 7QE, United Kingdom, Compare Quotes from Leading Market Research Agencies and Save. The interviewee is basically given the opportunity to talk freely about his/her opinions in relation to topic at hand. If the queries dont elicit the type of responses that are valuable to the market research, then the investment gets wasted. Plus, questions still remain over whether focus groups accurately represent the wider community and thus whether they offer anything of use. 4. That means you can take a localized approach while gaining the international diversity needed to address potential pain points with an idea. Data generated from in-depth interviews need a specialist to interpret it and requires coding services on top of transcription. People dislike the idea of giving someone information without receiving something in return, and a contest entry isnt usually valuable enough today. Some conversations can get heated when opinions differ, especially if the research involves politics or religion. Focus groups are an affordable way to collect information. Lets take a look at our top seven reasons for and against using focus groups. Choy (2014), states that the strengths of a qualitative methodology is that, it raises more issues through broad and open-ended inquiry. The results obtained in this effort are directly influenced by the moderator, the research team, and the interpretation of the achieved results. Interviews can be conducted in person or A focus group can provide a rich variety of information. Well, thatll depend on the kind of insights you require, and your reasons for pursuing the avenue of market research. Not only does the use of visual stimuli allow you to provide a more dynamic approach to the research, but it enables your participants to physically engage with the product youre testing. And each method has its advantages and disadvantages and that largely depends on how researchers see fit. You can glean key info from visual cues, such as your respondents expressions or gestures, as well as audial ones, like the tone, cadence, and volume of their voices. It may seem challenging to choose between individual interviews and focus groups. Focus groups look at B2C concepts primarily because it is challenging to bring business representatives into the same room to present a product. It is one of the cheapest ways to obtain a variety of ideas from a single population group. Additional expenses happen behind the scenes to develop the questions or product demonstrations so that the participants get asked the right questions. Required fields are marked *. Control of the discussion. This format allows respondents to feel free to confide in you without judging their answers (feeling of trust and closeness to the interviewer) and avoids bias. When online opportunities are available, then this advantage of focus groups expands even further. How effective is an online survey going to be, or a phone conversation with a potential consumer? Hit one of the buttons below to get started. Using focus groups is a cost-effective way to get information. Because of these issues, it is essential to have a skilled moderator conduct all focus groups. In particular, it will be interesting to invite people with complementary experiences to identify the crucial points you will need to work on in the future. Rather than having to sit several different respondents down for individual interviews, you can facilitate a session with a number of people at once. Your email address will not be published. The best market research companies specialise in recruiting, conducting, and evaluating focus groups, using tactics and knowledge gained through years of industry experience. From finding financial support to setting up payroll and signing up with a gas and electricity supplier, getting all your operations in order can feel like a daunting process. This disadvantage can cause some participants to rush through their perspectives because they feel like there wont be another chance to say something. The advantages include: the group provides a lot of information in a quicker and faster way and also at a lower cost than the individual interviews; they obtain information from the illiterate communities this is because the group carries out the interview with the aim of knowing the cultures of the communities and thus, they provide excellent . When moderators can receive a multitude of open responses about their concept, then it is easier for them to address any cultural, social, or economic issues that might develop around an idea. Simulation. Since moderators also receive a significant amount of feedback from multiple people in a short amount of time, it can speed the process of a product through the development cycles into prototyping and manufacturing. Most people will agree with the dominant voice in the room, even if their views differ. Focus groups can help researchers understand more about a specific population group. Whatever the setting, the role of the moderator is key to make people speak and interact. So if you want to know, why is a focus group better than an interview. They are otherwise referred to unstructured interviews. Data obtained from focus groups can be easier to analyse, present, and understand than complicated statistical data. Finally face-to-face interviews can be especially challenging to organize in a B2B setting (in some cases we even had to refuse B2B market research projects because we thought they were not feasible). Focus groups look at B2C concepts primarily because it is challenging to bring business representatives into the same room to present a product. A qualitative single case study design has been utilized. endobj Focus groups provide valuable data in the B2C world with consistency. The interviewee is given the opportunity to talk freely about events, behaviour and beliefs in relation to this topic area. 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. It can be challenging to prevent bias from the moderator. The discussion in a focus group typically builds on top of each answer. Interviews are mainly qualitative in nature. Focus groups can cause passions to spiral out of control. The tool may experience downtime in the event that internet connections . These methods are used as they are objective and reliable. Focus groups provide valuable information without a significant time investment. The quality of this skill can create incredible datasets that organizations can use for a variety of purposes. That complicates the situation and makes it difficult for market researchers to decide, which method to choose for successful market research, However, things become easier when we list the. and more so How? They're great if you want to assess multiple candidates in a short span of time, but you might learn less about an employee than in a 1-1 interview. Moderators can change the questions to fit the needs of the group. Similarly, anyone who's ever run a focus group will be acutely aware of the impact that this disparity can have on accurate results. It is not unusual for people to express themselves non-verbally when they arent providing a direct answer, showing agreement or disagreement regarding an opinion or idea. Qualitative market research has definitely been, a great tool for businesses to study foreign markets. However, one thing is common to both these qualitative market research methods and thats both require transcription services, which are provided by Transcribe Lingo. After all, its through market research that businesses gain insights into their target market. 3. Next, recognize three disadvantages of using interviews and focus groups for data collection that takes place during the analysis phase. % Focus groups are especially suited when you want to confirm your analysis with a wide variety of consumers profiles. 3. You should never assume that your group is a foolproof representation of your wider audience. While groupthink operates largely on the level of the subconscious, dishonest responses are a conscious decision. The needs of each organization can vary widely, even when they operate within the same industry. Unconscious bias can enter into the conversation to impact the data. Researchers may find one or the other more useful in different settings for their market research projects. Moderator bias may also lead to participants only sharing insights they feel will be perceived warmly by the facilitator, while avoiding sharing their true feelings for fear of disappointing the person in charge. After all, its through. The design allows for moderators to cover multiple aspects of a concept without going through the time-intensive process of conducting an individualized interview multiple times to gather information. Read our case study: How Transcribe Lingo Rescued a Major Law Firm. The Legend Of Maria Lionza And The Myth Of Venezuela, What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Testosterone. ADVANTAGES OF USING FOCUS GROUPS. As a feedback mechanism, a focus group involves recording feedback from a group of people on a product. Some programs will even pay people for their participation in these discussions, reimburse travel expenses, or offer advanced access to the products or services under consideration. This structure also helps to identify the product requirements of users while discovering pain points that dont get met as intended. Were glad to have Transcribe Lingo as our long-term transcription partner, never lets you down! The main advantages of interviews are: It can also cause hesitancy within the group because there is a desire to keep pressing forward. 8. Focus groups are usually held in communities where a specific marketing effort to a unique demographic is anticipated for a future concept. The responses you receive may be tainted by negative psychological phenomena such as groupthink, dishonesty, and bias, and individual personalities may adversely affect group decisions. The risk to fail is considerably higher than when you follow a well-prepared interview guide. The end product of such a well-directed group discussion is the collection of valuable data regarding a product thats the subject of the research. Feel free to watch the video below (undertitled in English) where our founder, Dr. Pierre-Nicolas Schwab, sums the differences, advantages and inconvenients of focus groups vs. qualitative interviews. A few individuals could possibly be introverts while others take control of the debate and impact the end result, or possibly even introduce bias.