Focus Groups, and Unfocused Groups
Sometimes useful revelations come from focus groups. If you ask the right group of people really good questions, you can validate (or disprove) a theory. Sometimes you can identify customer problems that provide opportunities for new product solutions. Sometimes. The trick is going in with the right expectations, and knowing when alternative methods, such as customer interviews and surveys, may be better.
I've used focus groups to explore customer attitudes, and to validate the viability of product concepts. Careful questioning about "how you do it now" can be useful, especially when the group becomes engaged and discusses their personal experiences. This is where focus groups can work: getting people to open up, describe their experiences and compare notes about current problems. (Important note: Having a top-notch moderator is essential: if you can't shut down a loudmouth, your group will be a waste of time. But it can be hard finding a good moderator who understands - or takes the time to learn about - your business.)
The problem with focus groups is that they can easily distort the participants' opinions while giving the impression that they're being "focused." This happens because a mirrored room full of strangers is very different from real life, and it's very easy to be influenced by a group of strangers who are trying to impress the people who are hidden behind the mirror. One person's well stated opinion can become the groups' opinion, even if it is contrary to the views that the others had beforehand. This is very dangerous.
I once listened to a focus group participant describe how much he liked using a new 3D mouse. He was the only person in the group who had done so, and everyone wanted to hear about it. The moderator treated him like an expert on the subject. After the session, I caught up with him at the sandwich table, and asked him about the software he was using with the device. He didn't know I was one of the people "behind the mirror." He told me "Well, I don't really have one, but I watched a demo at a trade show and I thought it looked cool." He was not the first, or the last, to stretch the truth in a focus group.
There's also a danger in expecting too much from participants. As soon as you start asking "how would you use this new gadget/program/website?" you're asking people to imagine how something that's new to them would fit into their work/home environment, while talking to people whose own circumstances may vary greatly. Speculation in a focus group is rarely valuable. People are usually trying to be "helpful" and they don't want to be seen as criticizing what could be the "next big thing."
A focus group is not a usability test: asking someone to use a product in this environment is often a waste of time. (Getting visual or tactile reactions to a product design, on the other hand, can work in a focus group, with the caveat that many participants are reluctant to disagree once someone ventures an opinion.) Nor is it the place to ask customers to design solutions to their problems - that's the product team's job. If you can improve your understanding of the customers' problems in a focus group, consider it successful.
Web-based focus groups are a new variant. They're like group chat sessions, with a moderator and, usually, a presentation or video. Participants can voice (OK, write) their ideas and opinions, and respond to each other. It's a bit cumbersome, and there's a danger of the fastest typist or most eloquent writer dominating the group. But with well-chosen participants and a good moderator, this can be a useful tool. One big advantage is that it's much cheaper than a live group.
Traditional focus groups are an established marketing tool that can be valuable, but are always expensive (and profitable for providers). If you schedule one every time you need "customer data", you won't get a complete picture of your customers. Don't use them when 1-on-1 customer visits, onsite customer roundtable discussions (with people who work together), surveys or usability tests would serve better. But when you need background information on your customers, want to hear a discussion by a group of people within a market, or when you want to see people's reactions to seeing a product for the first time, a group may help "focus" your thinking.
Final note: I once was a participant in a focus group that watched the pilot episode of a new TV show. The group, including me, hated it. The consensus was that it would be a flop - though the consensus may have been driven by the most vocal participants. The show? Seinfeld. Yup. Was the group a failure? Maybe not, because the show that reached the airwaves was much better. I think they took some of the criticism to heart and changed it. If so, those focus groups were money well spent!
I've used focus groups to explore customer attitudes, and to validate the viability of product concepts. Careful questioning about "how you do it now" can be useful, especially when the group becomes engaged and discusses their personal experiences. This is where focus groups can work: getting people to open up, describe their experiences and compare notes about current problems. (Important note: Having a top-notch moderator is essential: if you can't shut down a loudmouth, your group will be a waste of time. But it can be hard finding a good moderator who understands - or takes the time to learn about - your business.)
The problem with focus groups is that they can easily distort the participants' opinions while giving the impression that they're being "focused." This happens because a mirrored room full of strangers is very different from real life, and it's very easy to be influenced by a group of strangers who are trying to impress the people who are hidden behind the mirror. One person's well stated opinion can become the groups' opinion, even if it is contrary to the views that the others had beforehand. This is very dangerous.
I once listened to a focus group participant describe how much he liked using a new 3D mouse. He was the only person in the group who had done so, and everyone wanted to hear about it. The moderator treated him like an expert on the subject. After the session, I caught up with him at the sandwich table, and asked him about the software he was using with the device. He didn't know I was one of the people "behind the mirror." He told me "Well, I don't really have one, but I watched a demo at a trade show and I thought it looked cool." He was not the first, or the last, to stretch the truth in a focus group.
There's also a danger in expecting too much from participants. As soon as you start asking "how would you use this new gadget/program/website?" you're asking people to imagine how something that's new to them would fit into their work/home environment, while talking to people whose own circumstances may vary greatly. Speculation in a focus group is rarely valuable. People are usually trying to be "helpful" and they don't want to be seen as criticizing what could be the "next big thing."
A focus group is not a usability test: asking someone to use a product in this environment is often a waste of time. (Getting visual or tactile reactions to a product design, on the other hand, can work in a focus group, with the caveat that many participants are reluctant to disagree once someone ventures an opinion.) Nor is it the place to ask customers to design solutions to their problems - that's the product team's job. If you can improve your understanding of the customers' problems in a focus group, consider it successful.
Web-based focus groups are a new variant. They're like group chat sessions, with a moderator and, usually, a presentation or video. Participants can voice (OK, write) their ideas and opinions, and respond to each other. It's a bit cumbersome, and there's a danger of the fastest typist or most eloquent writer dominating the group. But with well-chosen participants and a good moderator, this can be a useful tool. One big advantage is that it's much cheaper than a live group.
Traditional focus groups are an established marketing tool that can be valuable, but are always expensive (and profitable for providers). If you schedule one every time you need "customer data", you won't get a complete picture of your customers. Don't use them when 1-on-1 customer visits, onsite customer roundtable discussions (with people who work together), surveys or usability tests would serve better. But when you need background information on your customers, want to hear a discussion by a group of people within a market, or when you want to see people's reactions to seeing a product for the first time, a group may help "focus" your thinking.
Final note: I once was a participant in a focus group that watched the pilot episode of a new TV show. The group, including me, hated it. The consensus was that it would be a flop - though the consensus may have been driven by the most vocal participants. The show? Seinfeld. Yup. Was the group a failure? Maybe not, because the show that reached the airwaves was much better. I think they took some of the criticism to heart and changed it. If so, those focus groups were money well spent!