USE OF FOCUS GROUPS IN DISCIPLINES

Library and Information Science: Focus groups in library science field research help study user's behaviour and the impact of services on the library use. In library and information science, when the library intends to work on its collection, the library consults the users who are the reason the library was established. This is an important process in meeting the needs of the users. And while researching this area the teachers, professionals, and researchers can be grouped according to the research requirements. 

Social Sciences: In the social sciences and urban planning, focus groups allow interviewers to study people in a more natural conversation pattern than typically occurs in a one-to-one interview. In combination with participant observation, they can be used for learning about groups and their patterns of interaction. An advantage is their fairly low cost compared to surveys, as one can get results relatively quickly and increase the sample size of a report by talking with several people at once. Another advantage is that they can be used as an occasion for participants to learn from one another as they exchange and build on one another's views so that the participants can experience the research as an enriching encounter. This counteracts the extractive nature of research which seeks to "mine" participants for data (with no benefit for them) as criticized by various authors, and in particular Indigenous-oriented authors.

Marketing: In marketing, focus groups are seen as an important tool for acquiring feedback regarding new products, as well as various other topics. Focus groups are usually used in the early stages of product or concept development when organizations are trying to create an overall direction for marketing initiative. In particular, focus groups allow companies wishing to develop, package, name, or test market a new product, to discuss, view, and/or test the new product before it is made available to the public. This can provide valuable information about the potential market acceptance of the product.

Usability Engineering: In usability engineering, a focus group is a survey method to collect the feedback of users on software or a website. This marketing method can be applied to computer products to better understand the motivations of users and their perception of the product. 

FOCUS GROUP FORMAT

During the focus group, the moderator takes participants through three different types of questions designed to gather as much information from them as possible. They include:

Engagement questions. These are easy questions posed early on to introduce the participants to each other, to make them more at ease, and to familiarize them with the topic to be discussed, whether it’s reacting to a new ad campaign for coffee or thinking about self-driving cars.

Exploration questions. Once participants have begun to relax and open up in the group, the moderator begins to ask deeper, probing questions about the topic and how the participants feel about it.

Exit questions. After the moderator is confident the group has shared all that it can, wrap-up questions are posed to confirm that everything has been said.

Various creative- activity-oriented questions asked during focus group discussions include but not limited to: 

• Free listings: Here participants produce a list of all elements of a domain and have a discussion around it. 

• Rating: Participants have a list of items which must be rated on a scale, typically using numbers or adjectives in order to determine or find out something.

• Ranking: Participants can either receive a list of items to rank according to a specified dimension or participants can combine items in pairs to compare elements in pairs. 

• Pile Sorting: Participants sort cards representing elements of a domain into piles according to their similarities and differences.

• Picture Sort: Participants have distributed selected pictures from magazines or photographs to sort through, and then find matches of a definite characteristic or that which best represents a certain category.

• Magic Tools and Fantasy: The moderator can literally or symbolically pass around a "magical" tool to each participant as he or she shares a fantasy, dream, or idea.

• StoryTelling: Participants create a narrative around the topic of interest to make others think about a solution to a problem, gauge reactions to a situation, and observe attitudes towards the topic under study. 

• Role-playing: Participants demonstrate through action how they would behave or act in a situation, how they would solve a problem, or deal with difficulty. 

• Sentence Completion: Participants are given printed out partial sentences on a topic to complete and share within a group.

• Collage: A moderator assigns a theme and then distributes print materials to participants (who are divided into small groups), so they can use these materials, drawings, and their own words to create a relevant collage.

ADVANTAGES OF FOCUS GROUP

Diverse Set of Responses Based on Interviewee Profiles: Focus groups provide a useful way to measure the reaction of customers to a new corporate strategy, proposed service, or a new product. The individuals who participate in these gatherings can provide immediate ideas that may improve the concepts being introduced through this medium.

Insights Obtained from Other Methodologies: Qualitative research methods can produce a significant amount of data about a concept. The only problem with that approach for some investigators is that the information can feel impersonal or lack authenticity. If the findings from previous efforts seem questionable, then a focus group can either confirm or deny the insights that researchers obtained through the use of other methodologies.

Easy Organizational Methods in B2C Settings: Focus groups bring like-minded consumers together to have a conversation about an idea or product concept. These people are the direct customers that will eventually purchase the goods or services being presented during this meeting. It is a research method that’s easy to organize because there will be interested individuals who want to take a first look at something new.

A Cost-Effective Way to Get Information: Focus groups are usually held in communities where a specific marketing effort to a unique demographic is anticipated for a future concept. Participants sign up for these conversations today from locations all over the world. That means you can take a localized approach while gaining the international diversity needed to address potential pain points with an idea.

Time-Saving opportunities: A focus group provides a condensed structure that makes it much easier to solicit a high number of opinions or feedback. The design allows for moderators to cover multiple aspects of a concept without going through the time-intensive process of conducting an individualized interview multiple times to gather information.

DISADVANTAGES OF FOCUS GROUP

Less Speaking Time than in Interviews: Focus groups do not provide as much time to individual perspectives than interviews when trying to solicit a maximum amount of information about a specific issue. This disadvantage can cause some participants to rush through their perspectives because they feel like there will not be another chance to say something. Others can be hesitant to express their thoughts because they fear that someone else in the room will criticize them.

Some Members can Dominate the Conversation: People who have dominant and extroverted personalities tend to dominate the conversations that happen in a focus group. Moderators try to temper this disadvantage by asking specific questions to each person so that individual feedback gets encouraged, but there will always be a few people who have an aggressive approach to providing feedback.

It can be Challenging to Prevent Bias from the Moderator: Moderators can impact the outcome of a focus group discussion because of the bias they bring into the room. This disadvantage may occur inadvertently or intentionally as the participants exchange ideas about a concept. When this issue happens, then the results can create an inaccurate representation of how the group feels about the idea. Moderators can lead the participants into reaching specific conclusions or assumptions, and some in the group may decide to avoid stating their opinion to avoid disappointing the person in charge.

The Cost Can Be Prohibitive: Focus groups are more expensive to execute when compared to questionnaires or surveys. Although some participants will offer their time for free, many expect to receive compensation for their feedback in some way. Additional expenses happen behind the scenes to develop the questions or product demonstrations so that the participants get asked the right questions. If the queries don’t elicit the type of responses that are valuable to the market research, then the investment gets wasted.

Security Concerns can Alter the Quality of the Data Collected: Most moderators try to eliminate as many distractions as possible when conducting a focus group. This approach allows the participants to focus on the information being presented and offer their opinions on each concept. Some conversations can get heated when opinions differ, especially if the research involves politics or religion. When people disagree passionately, their emotional responses can sometimes head toward violent tendencies almost immediately.