How many focus groups should I do?
Here's how other professional researchers have answered this question:
"The number of groups you have depends on a few different things. One, of course, is how much money you have to work with. Another is the number of breaks in your core targets. For example, do you want to look at users vs. nonusers, multiple age groups, male vs. female, etc.? It also depends on how many different stimuli you’ll be showing. For example, if you’re doing groups on advertising and you have 7 different positionings, you may not get to show them all in one group. So, you might show 4 positionings in the first group, the remaining 3 positionings in the second group, and the best positionings, from the first two groups, in a third group. The same could apply if you wanted to look at numerous packaging types and couldn’t look at all of them in one particular group." (Pharmaceuticals, New Product Development)
“I base it on the number of cities I’ll be working in. I usually do 2 – 3 groups per city. You need to conduct enough groups to get a good representation of the target market or particular region you’re testing." (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“Budget plays a large role in deciding the number of groups. Also, the target audience is important. If you have a broad target you would want to do more groups. If your target is more homogeneous then you could do fewer groups. For example if your target is 40 – 50 year-old men, you have a narrow target and could do fewer groups.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“This is usually driven by how the project breaks down demographically. If there are gender differences, then you have to double the number of groups. For example, if you have a new product and want to see the different reactions between gender, I would do two groups of men and two groups of women. The number of groups depends on the specifics of the project and the number and type of sub groups.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“This depends on how much money you have and how many targets you have, i.e., adults, teens, males, females. If you’re looking at females ages 20 – 60, you wouldn’t want to lump them all in together. You’d want to separate the 20 year-olds from the 50 year-olds. I also prefer not to do just one of any sub group, if possible.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“I usually take the advice of the market research agency. Generally, however, we tend to do six to 12 groups in three to four locations. This is just a pattern that developed. We mainly do groups to get insight prior to doing quantitative research.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
When should I do full sized groups vs. mini groups?
Here's how other professional researchers have answered this question:
“Conducting mini vs. full size groups really depends on what phase of the process you’re in. You have larger groups when you want to get as many opinions as possible and you don’t mind if counterbalancing occurs and respondents are influenced by others in the group. Full size groups might be good for exploratories, ideation and concept development. As you get further along in your research and you have narrowed things down considerably, such as your concepts or advertising executions, you might want to have smaller groups or even individual interviews. In the smaller groups, people are not as likely to change their opinion because of others and they are more willing to speak up about the way they feel.” (Pharmaceuticals, New Product Development)
“I usually conduct larger groups when I’m brainstorming. I have smaller groups when I want to hone in on a particular subject, such as testing messages. Lately, I’ve had success using triads for advertising testing. I want the groups small enough so the respondents can focus on the ads but I also want to be able to stimulate conversation by having multiple respondents.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“I use mini groups when I want to expose a lot of information and get reactions to many stimuli. I also use them when I want to dig deeper into particular issues. I use larger groups when there is less to expose and the stimuli are easy to comprehend. I use full size groups when I’m just looking for a quick reaction and I don’t need to go into a lot of depth.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“I do mini groups when I’m afraid the respondents might be intimidated by a larger group. Mini groups are less threatening and it’s easier to probe. I’d use a larger group when I’m not concerned about the group biasing any individual’s comments. I’d use a larger group when I’m not working with a sensitive topic.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“This goes back to the topic and how deep you need to delve into the topic. For example if you’re looking at topline feedback to concept, you would go with a larger group.
If you want to drill down and dig deeper, i.e., what does this mean, you would go with a smaller group.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
This depends if you are going to be interviewing people with more diverse or more specific interests. When I want a narrow focus, talking with people of similar backgrounds, such as board certified dermatologists, I would go with mini groups. When I want to talk to people with diverse backgrounds, I’ll use a large group.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
How do you decide how many markets to have in your study?
Here's how other professional researchers have answered this question:
“This depends on what you’re doing and your stage of development. For example, if the use of your product might be affected by seasonality, then you might want to hold your groups in different parts of the country, i.e., where it’s temperate and cold, where it’s warm and dry, and where it’s warm and humid. If the topic of your focus groups is advertising you might want to see if the advertising is relevant in different parts of the country, i.e., in the Midwest, and on the coast.” (Pharmaceuticals, New Product Development)
“This depends on your budget and also on your topic. You would do multiple markets if there might be geographic differences in the attitudes, responses, or reactions of your respondents. I usually don’t have more than two or three markets per study. When I have multiple markets, I usually pick the Northeast, Midwest, and South. For example, I’m doing a study now and we’re testing NJ, Atlanta and Phoenix.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“I usually only go to one market unless I think there will be geographical differences that might affect respondents’ responses. For example, if I was doing research on a new fad among teens, I’d probably do my research in a trend setting, leading edge market and also in a more mainstream America market.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“The markets we go to are usually company driven and depends upon whether the product we’re testing is more popular in one region of the country than another. It depends on usage patterns and the dynamics of business geographically.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“Traditionally we conduct groups on the East Coast, West Coast and in the Midwest. We often get different attitudes between the East and West Coast. The Midwest is more traditional. We go with different markets when our sales are related to cultural differences such as the sophistication level of the market.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
What should I look for in a focus facility?
Here's how other professional researchers have answered this question:
“The most important thing to look for is high quality recruiting. The quality of the respondents is the biggest key to the success of your project. It’s also important that the facility personnel are positive and responsive. Additionally, the facility should be easy to get to from the airport and be close to major roads. Finally, the facility should be in a safe, well lit neighborhood.” (Pharmaceuticals, New Product Development)
“I look for great recruiting. I also look for great customer service – being attentive to my needs. It’s the small things that count like temperature control, getting faxes to me, etc..” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“The number one thing I look for is good recruiting. I actually prefer facilities that will do some cold calling and not always use their database. I don’t like getting professional respondents. I prefer that my respondents haven’t participated in a market research study in, at least, a year. I like the back room to have plenty of space, and office facilities for the clients. I like it when there’s a computer in the back room. I like when there’s a separate room, adjacent to the back room, where the clients can have lunch, separate from the viewing room where the clients are working.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“The most important thing is that the facility has good recruiting. I also want the facility to be in a convenient location. I want the back room to be spacious and comfortable. I like there to be good climate control, preferably where the back room clients can control their temperature independently from the moderator’s temperature controls. Often times, the moderator is hot and the temperature is lowered and the clients in the back room freeze. I like when the hostesses are friendly and they make you feel at home. They do those little things to accommodate you. Like there’s this one facility in Chicago I go to that will ask me if there’s a special kind of soda I’d like. I tell them “Gee it would be really nice to have a Canfield Diet Cream soda”. Within an hour there’s a six pack of Canfield in the fridge.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“Recruiting is most important. Do the respondents meet the specifications? Did the recruiters have an easy time getting the people? Does the facility provide you with feedback on trouble areas? Also, service and amenities are important. Is the back room big enough? Is there a desk and space for writing? Are there supplies available?” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“The most important thing is that the respondents feel comfortable and safe in the environment. They should not feel crammed in-to the moderator room. They should have natural light. The mirror should not be obtrusive, so the respondents don’t feel like they’re being watched. The quality of the mirror and glass is important so the respondents can’t see people moving around behind the glass. From the client’s point of view, you want the back room to be spacious. You want to be able to speak in a normal voice and not be heard by the respondents, so you need good sound insulation. You want someone to look after you. I don’t like to have to enter the back room by walking through the area where the respondents are waiting. I like there to be a separate entrance where I can avoid seeing the respondents. I like to be able to log onto my e-mail and print documents. I like to be able to give a disk to someone who will print it out or revise something for me.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
How do I find good facilities in other markets?
Here's how other professional researchers have answered this question:
“Word of mouth.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“I generally rely on the recommendations of the moderator.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
“This is driven by moderator recommendations, past experience and the Impulse Survey.” (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“I usually go by the moderator’s recommendation." (Packaged Goods, Marketing Research Department)
“Most of the time, it comes down to availability.” (Pharmaceuticals, Marketing Research Department)
What is the Myers-Briggs test?
The Myers-Briggs is a personality testing system that measures people in four areas, subdivided by two functions
How a person relates to others (either by Extroversion or Introversion)
How a person takes in information (either by Sensing or Intuition)
How a person makes decisions (either by Thinking or Feeling)
How a person orders their life (either by Judging or Perceiving)
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