The Psychology of Quality and More

Focus Group

A Focus Group is, in its most generic format, a group of people convened to discuss a given topic. It is usually done with 'naive' people whose 'raw' options are sought.

It is a common technique in Market Research, where groups of consumers are gathered in comfortable surroundings, where they may be asked to discuss product factors, given a trial product to examine, and so on. This is often done in high-surveillance rooms, with one-way mirrors and video cameras so every nuance may be viewed, captured and considered in detail.

The organization of the group may range from an unstructured free-for-all to a highly structured interview.

Using two interviewers is a common technique, where one person asks the questions and the other pays attention to what is going on in the whole room, such as the body language of other participants.

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