How many people include the focus group. Stages of a focus group. How many respondents should be represented

Instructions

Determine the range of questions you want to answer during the focus group. You must clearly understand what you will be with them, how to use them in the strategy. It is often that the questions put up for discussion are not the same as the result - the result of the study remains on paper, not finding embodiment. When formulating questions, try to address the interests of all departments, not just your marketing department.

Decide who will be the moderator, that is, the leader of the focus groups. This should be a sociable person who knows how to ask questions, if the need arises - to move the channel of the conversation in the right direction, to encourage the participants to give detailed answers. The moderator should not record the responses of the invited guests during the research. This functionality should be assigned to observer psychologists on the other side of the mirrored wall.

Provide for video recording equipment. Mark in advance the shooting point where you will put the camcorder on the tripod. Test if everyone at the table gets into the frame. Adjust sound, lighting, color balance. Also, when preparing for the focus group, provide soft drinks, pens and notebooks for the participants, and a flip chart for the moderator.

Invite participants. Consider how to encourage their consent. Once again, make sure that they are all your potential buyers, and not just unemployed, in large numbers and with regular frequency for a small fee participating in such studies. Better to do the sampling yourself rather than relying on external marketers.

Only ask a new question to focus group participants after thoroughly discussing the previous one. This study does not allow a return to topics, as this disrupts the process of adequate perception of the product. If the topic under discussion concerns a material object (not a service), be sure to prepare samples. Having them in hand will make it much easier for focus group participants to answer the moderator's questions.

Watch the video. Compare your feelings with the opinion of observer psychologists. Record all responses from invited participants. To analyze the results, draw up a pivot table in which the repeated answers are highlighted with markers of the same color. In order for the answers to the questions posed to be objective, 3-4 meetings should be collected for each product, at each of which up to 10 people can be present.

Specialists divide the organization of work with interviewers into the following stages: selection of interviewers; training; provision of documents for field work; organization of control over the current work of interviewers; preparation of final documents by interviewers; checking the work of interviewers (validation).

Focus group composition and size:

In foreign practice, 8-10 (less often 6-8) FG participants are considered optimal, in domestic practice - 10-12.

In his guide to FG, G. Edmund argues that more people in a group discussion are ineffective, and the conversation is then uncontrollable.

According to other Western sources, the size of the focus group is from 8 to 12 people, its meeting lasts an average of two hours and runs on several topics, based on a previously drawn up plan. Thus, the boundaries of the FG population range from 6 to 12 people.

The main parameters of the FG research, such as the number of participants, their social characteristics, the number of groups, etc., are determined by two factors: the general methodological requirements for group interviews and the objectives of the study.

It is known, for example, that during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, his speeches before the American people were first tested at FG. The composition of the FG reflected the demographic composition of the future audience. Presidential speeches were broadcast only after the appropriate changes were made to the text and manner of speech, which made the speech as convincing and understandable as possible.

Exceeding the maximum allowable number of participants (12 people) leads either to the emergence of a passive audience, and the exchange of remarks begins to take place between the most initiative persons, or to a split of the discussion into several private meetings. The focus group should be small enough to allow the participants to have a very frank conversation.

K. Glesn and A. Peshkin suggested that interviewing more than one person is sometimes extremely useful: some teenagers are more comfortable talking in a company, and it is better to discuss some of them in a small circle of respondents who know each other. Reducing the size of the focus group below the minimum limit inhibits creative discussion, limits the number of new ideas, and often degrades their quality.

The shortened version of the group (4-6 people) is suitable only in extreme situations, for example, when the interview is excessively delayed, and the participants have reasons to leave the group; or when discussing a very large number of issues, when an increase in the number of participants threatens chaos.

The need to use small focus groups is due to the following reasons:

in a large group, participants have less time to speak, discussions last longer, sometimes not leading to the desired result;

the leader of the discussion (moderator) in a large group is forced to act directively, severely limiting its participants in time;

in a large group, many feel less comfortable than in a small one, as their ability to defend their point of view is reduced.

The main factor determining the size of the group is the purpose of its conduct, the nature of the problem under discussion. If the goal of a FG is to get as many new ideas as possible, then a large group is preferable. If we want to reveal the deepest and most detailed opinions of each respondent, then it is advisable to form small groups.

Thus, the group should not be so large as to become unmanageable or inhibit the active participation of the majority of members, but at the same time, it should not be so small as to not provide significantly more coverage than one-person interviews.

The composition of the group is determined after preliminary selection (recruiting) of people who have agreed to take part in the study. Most often, researchers select a group based on the principle of homogeneity (homogeneity) - the group members must have similar socio-demographic characteristics. It is necessary that the participants belong to the same social stratum and feel comfortable in conversation with each other. It is important to note that the purpose of selection is the homogeneity of the social characteristics of the participants, but not the homogeneity of views and attitudes. Violation of this principle can lead to unproductive discussion. For example: when discussing the introduction of Prohibition, it is necessary to invite either only non-drinkers or potential alcoholics.

The composition of the group members is established taking into account the following characteristics:

social affiliation (status): usually the same group includes respondents who are close to each other in social status (in this case, all the main strata of the population should be represented in different groups);

life experience of participants: in one focus group, as a rule, people close in life experience gather;

degree of competence: respondents with significantly different degrees of competence should not be present in the same group;

consumer opportunities: in one group there should be people of approximately the same level of financial and economic opportunities;

age and marital status: people of different ages should not be included in the same group (while the groups should provide all age categories);

cultural differences: it is advisable not to include representatives of different cultures in one group;

gender: most researchers favor sex-mixed FGs;

point of view on the problem under discussion: it is imperative to invite people with different opinions on the issues brought up for discussion into one group.

The main social characteristics taken into account when determining the composition of groups are: gender, age and nationality (in some regions, religious affiliation may also be significant), education and social class.

Focus group concept

Definition 1

A focus group is a type of empirical research in sociology, which is a discussion taking place in a group, during which the attitude of group members to a product, type of activity, etc. is determined.

For the first time this method was used in 1941 by R. Merton and P. Lazarsfeld in order to determine the effectiveness of the impact of radio transmissions on people. This method is extremely attractive, especially for marketing, because during the discussion, group members get rid of verbal cliches and become extremely free in their answers, expressing a true attitude towards the subject under discussion.

Characteristics of a focus group as a research method

The number of group members is from 2 to 8 people, no more than 10 members.
The discussion takes 1 to 3 hours.
The discussion leader is an experienced sociologist or psychologist.
The formation of the group (gender, age, social status, etc.) takes place taking into account the purpose of the study.

Remark 1

To study modern gadgets, it is more logical to invite people of both sexes, but of a certain age (up to 35 years old). To study the effectiveness of a new electric shaver, it is reasonable to create two homogeneous male groups - a youth group and an older generation group.

Specifics of preparing and conducting a focus group

Obviously, the discussion will be more effective if it takes place in a favorable and friendly, comfortable environment, so preparation is extremely important.

It is necessary to write a program (as to any type of research), which will contain the goal, objectives, object and subject, a description of the subjects, tools for collecting and analyzing the information received.

At the next stage, a team of professionals is prepared (a leader or a moderator and his assistants): they explain the goals and objectives of the study, assign roles (some of the assistants keep order and comfort, someone records what is happening on video, etc.) ).

After that, a research plan is drawn up. It contains a greeting, an explanation of the rules to the participants, the wording of questions, as well as an indication of the time of discussion and the length of the breaks.

It is important to prepare the room: it must be spacious and comfortable, it must have a large table; you also need to take care of the availability of product samples that will be discussed in the focus group.

The process itself consists of the following stages:

greetings by the moderator of all participants, an explanation of the goals and rules of the discussion;
getting to know each other among the members of the group;
a discussion that starts with open questions and ends with closed ones: it is a kind of general part, where the moderator addresses the participants with questions and forms an opinion about their habits and preferences, and on the main part, in which the product is tested and actively discussed;
generalization of everything said by the moderator, gratitude to the participants and farewell;
transcription of the recording and analysis of the resulting transcript.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Group as a Research Method

The advantages include:

synergy, variety of information received;
the speed of the information received;
structure, a combination of a wide coverage of problematic issues with the required level of in-depth study;
"Snowball effect" - the words of one of the members of the discussion can cause acute emotions in the other and push them towards a brighter and more sincere expression of their opinion;
stimulation: discussion stimulates the desire of each member to express their opinion;
freedom and confidence of respondents in equal rights to speak;
spontaneity and accuracy of statements.

The disadvantages include:

misuse of results (focus group - exploratory rather than descriptive research);
underestimation of the results obtained in comparison with other methods;
insufficient qualifications of the moderator;
difficulty in transcription and transcription of a recording from a focus group;
disorder;
unrepresentativeness associated with the fact that the respondents selected for the focus group do not represent the studied population, therefore it is very dangerous to make marketing decisions based on them.

The "focus group" method is an in-depth focused interview in the form of a series of group discussions, during which the participants are "focused" on the questions of interest to the researcher in order to obtain subjective information from them. The main feature of the method is that in a group discussion, participants are included in communication with their own kind, as a result of which psychological barriers (usually separating the interviewer and the interviewee in survey methods) are removed much more effectively, and emotional reactions (affecting the behavior of any person in everyday life) are manifested much brighter.

Focus group methodology

The focus group method refers to qualitative methods of collecting information and is based on the use of the group dynamics effect.

The application of this method involves a group discussion under the guidance of a specialist (moderator). The main advantage of this method is the ability to quickly obtain the so-called in-depth information in a small group of respondents. The essence of the method lies in the fact that the attention of the participants is focused on the problem (topic) under study, in order to determine the attitude to the problem posed, to find out the motivation for certain actions.

In addition, this method allows the customer to monitor the progress of the research and draw appropriate conclusions. The cost of a focus group is relatively low (for example, compared to in-depth interviews). A focus group can be used in combination with other methods (both quantitative and qualitative) and as an independent method of collecting information.

Focus group distinctive features

Unlike quantitative research methods (for example, a sociological survey), which answers the questions `Who ..?" And `How much ..?", The focus group provides answers to the questions `How exactly ..?" And `Why. .? "

The second feature is the way of sampling and methods of collecting information. In a sociological (quantitative) study, the basic method is a survey (personal, telephone), in which respondents representing a certain category of consumers are interviewed according to a single scheme (questionnaire). In a focus group (qualitative research), methods of in-depth group interviews are used, which allow "pulling" information from the respondent that does not lie on the surface, showing a wide range of attitudes towards the problem.

Focus group is a subjective research method (as opposed to sociological research, which is an objective method of collecting and processing information). The meaning of this method is that in a group discussion the respondent is included in communication with his own kind. Therefore, the psychological barriers separating the interviewer and the interviewee in a sociological survey are removed much more effectively, and emotional reactions are much brighter. Focus group participants are "focused" on the questions of interest to the researcher in order to obtain hidden information. Qualitative and quantitative research is often conducted jointly, and the results complement each other.

Preparation of the methodological section of the research program

This section includes: the relevance of the problem, the purpose and objectives of the research, the object and subject of research, research hypotheses.

Defining a goal is one of the most important components of a research program.

Most often, focus groups are used to achieve the following goals:

1) generating ideas;

2) testing hypotheses for quantitative research;

3) preparation of tools for quantitative research;

4) interpretation of the results of quantitative studies;

5) the study of the characteristics of the behavior of individual groups of people.

Number of participants

Focus groups usually work in rooms equipped with a video camera. The number of group members is from 8 to 12 people. This range is optimal, verified over decades and reflects a balance of two factors: with a smaller group, the intensity of the discussion decreases; with a larger group, not all participants get an opportunity to speak. The group interview is conducted by a moderator - a professional researcher who must have certain skills in working with people, be able to win them over, be neutral, equally treat any opinion expressed by the participants, even if it does not coincide with his own. Gender, age, income level, etc. are used as criteria for selecting participants. Often 2-3 focus groups are held according to the same scenario with a different composition of participants.

To a large extent, the number of participants is influenced by the purpose of the focus group. For example, the smaller the group, the more possible it is to obtain so-called in-depth information, and the larger the group, the higher the likelihood of generating more ideas.

Selection of participants

Participants selection methods:

· 1) random selection according to the lists available in the databases;

· 2) "snowball" - the selection of people who meet the specified criteria on the information provided by people about their acquaintances;

· 3) spontaneous selection using express interviews and questionnaires to select the most suitable respondents.

Men and women should not be interviewed together if the research topic touches on intimate issues or in cases where either men or women can influence the opinion of the group in issues affecting areas in which men traditionally consider themselves experts, or, for example, in questions related to parenting, where women are in the lead. The researcher's acquaintances or people who know each other should also not be invited to the same group, since it is possible to foresee the degree of the researcher's influence or their influence on each other. Likewise, educational or socioeconomic status and level of awareness can be affected - experts often either get unconditional consent or force them to argue, even if you agree with them.

Focus group scenario

A focus group scenario is a set of questions for discussion. The content of the plan is determined by the degree of formalization of the focus group.

A structured focus group assumes the work of a moderator according to a previously prepared guide. A semi-structured focus group follows the so-called flexible or sketch guide, which is significantly adjusted depending on the reactions of the participants. In rare cases, there is no guide at all. This is usually used in pilot (pilot) studies.

The questions of the guide are divided into thematic blocks, between which it is necessary to make links - "bridges". When developing a guidebook, general requirements are used for the wording and order of questions (from general to specific, unambiguous understanding, comprehensibility, neutrality, ease of construction, etc.).

It is advisable to use various qualitative techniques: role play, unfinished sentence, association, metaphor, doubt in the obvious, description of the opposite type of behavior, indirect (hidden) questions, etc.

The focus group script is written in advance, the questions are arranged in a logical sequence and in such a way that people understand why you are asking them about it right now. First of all, the purpose of the study is formulated, based on the information that you need to get. The script consists of an introduction, background questions, main questions, additional questions, and a closing part.

1. Introduction (15 minutes in an hour and a half discussion). Explain the purpose of the meeting, the importance of the participants' opinion to you. Say that the focus group is not for assessing everyone's knowledge, but for researching a problem. Explain that the opinions of the participants may differ, but that this is the value of their survey. Introduce observers, explain the reasons for their presence: observers are needed to record in detail the entire course of work. Explain the use of technical means (tape recorder, video camera). Introduce the participants and the research team. Apply one or two tricks to defuse the situation.

2. Background questions (10 minutes). Questions related to the focus group topic, but of a more general nature. The goal is to give the participants the opportunity to orient themselves and get used to each other and to the moderator. The moderator shows equal attention to all participants, striving for a balanced expression of the most diverse opinions. It is best to refer to participants by name.

3. Key questions (50 minutes). The answers to them allow you to achieve the goal of conducting a qualitative research. Questions should be open-ended, and you should avoid leading questions like: “You liked that, didn't you?” Questions are asked in a logical sequence, each subsequent one clarifies and reveals the answers to the previous one. In this part, you can, for example, ask: Did you like (or dislike) anything? "How satisfied are you with something?", "What would you like to change?", "How do you feel about something?" Questions should be carefully thought out and Objective Maintain eye contact and monitor participants' body language Prevent participants from dominating others.

4. Additional questions that are relevant but less important (10 minutes). Usually it is asked how the participants get information about the discussed subject or topic, which channels are most frequently used. Clarifying questions are sometimes asked.

5. End of the focus group (5 minutes). Before the end, a short break is made, during which the moderator checks the script and discusses the course of the conversation with the observer. Concluding questions are then asked, thanks to the group for their participation, and a reward, if any, is given. This concludes the focus group.

Conducting a focus group

Requirements for the place and time of the discussion

The duration of the focus group is determined depending on the purpose of the study and ranges between 1.5-3.5 hours. An evening of a working day or weekends is most suitable for conducting the study.

The room should be spacious, light, with a round table or low tables. The decor should be neutral (no bright color "spots", soundproofing, no additional stimuli in the room, etc.).

Technical equipment

It is necessary to have sound recording equipment (tape recorder, video camera). In some cases, a VCR or TV is required to demonstrate the stimulus material. It is desirable to have a demonstration board on which you can place diagrams, posters, samples, etc. In addition, you may need: paper, pencils, scissors, pens, felt-tip pens, markers, glue, etc.

Focus group data analysis

First of all, audio and video recordings are transcribed and a verbatim report is compiled, which contains the edited focus group recording, a description of the non-verbal reactions of the group members, the observations of the moderator and his assistants. It is advisable to identify the reasons and nature of differences in opinions and assessments.

The results obtained are compared with the results of similar studies and are subjected to expert assessments.

World practice has shown that the "focus group" method is effectively used in the field of marketing when studying the behavior of consumers of certain goods, services and ideas, reactions to advertising, in the political sphere when developing and evaluating the results of various social and political programs, when studying the image of politicians , in the field of sociology of health and medicine, in the study of sensitive topics, in the field of sociology of communication in the study of the communicative behavior of the target audience (reading printed publications, watching television, listening to radio stations, etc.) and in other areas.

There are various definitions of the focus group method. Dmitrieva E.V. gave the following definition:

"The focus group method is a qualitative method of collecting sociological information in homogeneous (according to significant for research) groups with a focus, with the participation of a leader and based on the principles of group dynamics." The "focus" can be a film, a commercial or its storyboard, a product, a company's image, a selected topic of a group discussion, a problem or phenomenon of social life.

A focus group is a specific group of respondents, which consists of 8-10 people who come together to discuss a certain topic in which each of them is interested in one degree or another. The discussion can go on for up to two hours, but often a situation arises when you have to work an order of magnitude longer. It is worth noting that if it is known in advance that you will have to work for a longer time, then the focus group is called extended. Discussions at such a meeting refer to technologies of qualitative analysis, since the information that is obtained as a result of the work of such specialists cannot be called representative for a certain group of people.

Why is it needed?

A focus group is a necessary part of modern marketing, which is actively used in various areas of business. This group is created so that its participants in the process of a well-directed discussion can express their own opinion on the topic of discussion, trying to reveal it from an individual point of view. In the process of studying such groups, a fairly wide range of opinions is revealed, for example, this may relate to the level of satisfaction and consistency of customers, the perception of the level of service, the determination of leaders in a particular area, as well as a number of other issues.

Also, a focus group is a good tool for understanding ulterior motives and motives for the level of service. Consumers always have a wide variety of information that they received from their own life experience regarding high and low levels of service, and unlike most other topics, the consumer happily discusses this information with other people. Thus, a focus group is a fairly popular option for penetrating into various aspects of the quality of service for the population, as well as the level of satisfaction and consistency on the part of consumers.

Focus group from competitors - is it real?

While the use of a focus group is often found in the process of examining various issues related to customer opinion in order to investigate the problems of the very structure of the business, it is much more difficult to use it, especially if the group will be composed of representatives of companies that operate in a specific field. ... In the overwhelming majority of cases, holding a focus group is rarely of interest to company representatives because of the fear that competitors may receive and subsequently in one way or another use classified information belonging to this company. However, groups still function ideally if they are recruited from non-competitive companies, and at the same time, the participants themselves may realize that their business has many more points of contact than they might think.

What determines the success of such a group?

A sufficiently large number of factors affect how successful a focus group will be, namely:

Competent recruitment of participants.
The correct choice of a coordinator or, as it is also called in professional circles, a project moderator.
Comfortable environment.
Relevance of the topic under discussion.

How many respondents should be represented?

As with quantitative research, different types of focus groups involve, first of all, a competent selection of its composition. It will be necessary to collect an initially representative sample from the audience that is the main goal of the study. Since in the overwhelming majority of cases, a group is usually recruited by people who work or live on a permanent basis in a geographically limited area, it makes sense to collect such groups in different areas, especially if there are some regional peculiarities in the perception of the consumer.

What problems can there be?

In addition, it will also be important to calculate the dynamics of the group. For example, how effective would a group with both men and women be? Imagine a situation in which a man would be more interested in impressing the opposite sex, rather than seriously discussing a particular company issue. Of course, this format often brings excitement to the group, but in fact, other participants may be unhappy with this, and in principle it very often just interferes with the normal discussion of the issue.

Difficulties can also arise if focus group types are drawn from participants of mixed ages, as a generational conflict may eventually develop. For example, this often happens when discussing issues such as whether it is worth borrowing money.

Human culture is one of the most important points

Differences between cultures should also be taken into account. In certain countries, it is quite difficult to force the respondent to sincerely express any criticism regarding the quality of the goods or services provided by a particular company, for the reason that there public criticism is one of the main signs of bad manners. It is for this reason that a focus group is a separate topic in psychology that receives close attention. Among other things, representatives of different cultures may consider it absolutely wrong to have a man as a coordinator in a group of female respondents.

Moderator

What focus group method should be used? This is a question of experts, because their main purpose is to make the work of the assembled people as easy as possible. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the work of such groups is carried out in the format of a discussion, which is built around a topic that is agreed in advance. The group moderator should have specialized skills to guide the discussion in such a way that each participant has the opportunity to express their own opinion, while eliminating the dominance of any opinion over the opinions of other people who are present in the group.

The moderator should be careful to ensure that each individual topic is discussed over a period of time. Among other things, the coordinator should listen very carefully to what each member of the assembled group says and how, while trying to understand his condition. A focus group moderator is a professional specialist who thoroughly understands how to conduct such events. The moderator may need to use incentives or some other specialized means to develop specific topics. In other words, all this work must be done by a qualified specialist, since the focus group method is an extremely important and responsible event, which should not be managed by beginners, but by self-confident professionals.

Premises

Often such conditions are created so that marketing research of focus groups is carried out in a specially equipped room. Today, the group often gathers in a room that originally specialized in sound recording and filming. Often in such offices there are special rooms that can be completely refurbished in accordance with the goals pursued by this group.

In particular, for example, some companies often create a cozy living room environment with a sofa, chairs, TV, coffee table and other traditional interior elements. It will also be possible to transform the room into something akin to a boardroom if doing business research. In any case, the primary task set by the moderator, who guides the focus group, is a type of room that should not be stressful for the participants, and also not create any discomfort for them. At the same time, do not forget that consent to participate in a focus group is a rather extraordinary event in the lives of many people, so many people feel various kinds of fears about this.

What does it do?

If the initial focus group analysis is carried out correctly, and everything is well organized, then the company informs all participants in advance of various details that relate to the upcoming event. Among other things, food is provided, and some even prefer to take the participants home after the group has finished its work. Participants are often given a fee to compensate for wasting their own time.

What to discuss?

Another important element is what the focus group participants will be discussing, or, more precisely, the thematic index of the event. This includes a specific list of topics to be discussed, and subsequently it will be used to guide the discussion in a certain direction.

In order to maintain interest on the part of participants in the subject for which the focus group study is being carried out, it is necessary to initially prepare for discussion those issues that are important to all consumers. Initially, the discussion begins with the fact that there is an acquaintance with each individual participant, after which the subject of the conversation is discussed directly, and absolutely everyone participates in this discussion. This is extremely important, since the moderator should involve each participant in the discussion as early as possible.

Still, the very format of such an event is a kind of meeting of friends, but these are strangers who were gathered in a place unfamiliar to them, where they do what they have never done before, perhaps they have never even done - they have a productive discussion on that subject, which they might not even think about before.

How does the presenter behave?

Leading a discussion in a focus group is a responsible specialization, and the person who carries out this work must initially destroy the complexes of each of the participants. And after he succeeds, he must, in accordance with the thematic index, conduct the conversation according to a special scheme: starting from a superficial acquaintance with the topic and ending with the deepest penetration into all its aspects.

The result is needed now

Immediate presentation of results after the end of the group's work is something that any moderator often fears. After several hours of hard work, the group asks the facilitator to provide immediate feedback on key issues in the discussion. This requirement simply does not allow the moderator to think about the information he received, for example, in order to understand how the results differ from those received by other groups in the process of researching this topic. At the same time, the client has already managed to draw independent conclusions, and now insists that the moderator posted his own, and he could compare them.

It often happens that the situation is complicated by the personality traits of those people who are doing the research. Still, a focus group in sociology is far from the same as in marketing, so specialists, each of whom understands his own particular area, can conflict with each other.

Is it correct?

In fact, it is far from always possible to draw conclusions based on the results of the work of a particular focus group, especially if it concerns some new services or goods. In the vast majority of cases, you have to gather several groups at the same time in order to finally understand why consumers behave in one way or another, because a focus group in marketing is a universal tool that should cover everyone.

In addition, it often happens that you have to change the content or the main purpose of the research, if the initially obtained results cannot be interpreted normally or only generate even more questions that will probably need to be added to the questionnaire.