:: Issues with Focus Group Testing

Conducting focus groups can be a great way to generate ideas, but don't use this technique as a way to document trends in behavior or end-user tasks.

Why?

It's simple. We are social animals. People, in a group setting, have a tendency to influence one another. Whether it is to impress, to encourage, or to blend in, people will act differently in front of others, than they do in isolation.

In a situation where a researcher wants to validate trends in behavior, he/she should study individual behavior, in isolation, and then compare this behavior with data from other 1-on-1 interviews. 1-on-1 interviews ensure that participant responses are not influenced by environmental bias...in other words, other people in the room!

Once again, focus groups ARE a legitimate method of conducting research.

When?

Use focus groups when YOU WANT other people to influence each other. The best use of a focus group is for a creative brainstorm, or to generate ideas.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab