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Focus Groups are a special type of interview conducted with multiple participants simultaneously as a method of inquiry to gather qualitative data on the subjective experience of participants in a particular topic or scenario. For the purpose of this article I shall concentrate on the application of focus groups in the context of usability testing. What are focus groups? Focus groups were originally developed in the 1930s and 40s by the renowned sociologist Robert K. Merton as a focused interview to ascertain the opinions of groups of people towards media products in his time as associate director of Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social Research (an institute specializing in mass communications research). Out of this the term focus group was coined by the psychologist and marketing expert Dr. Ernest Dichter. Focus groups allow you to gather feedback from users regarding their subjective experience of the usability of your software application or website in order to improve the user experience of your product. Opinions, ideas, sentiments, spontaneous reactions and comments are the target when undertaking a focus group. Since focus groups are a qualitative and not quantitative method of conducting research one does not need to note down extensive dry statistics. Instead, more generalized sentiments can be sufficient. This is particularly important because what people say and what they do is not necessarily congruent, leading – not uncommonly – to users noting that they are satisfied with a product when in actuality they are not, and vice versa. One of the main goals of focus groups is to discover what users desire or expect from your product, including the usability of your system. How do you conduct focus groups? Focus groups are usually conducted, via moderated discussions, in groups ranging anywhere from four to twelve participants. A number of focus groups can be realized tackling the same question. Focus groups should preclude a thorough preparation beforehand. If possible, the target participants of a focus group should reflect the targeted users of your software product. Focus groups should be designed to feel informal, without structure and as unscripted as possible but in actuality a 'script', of sorts, should be prepared for the moderator of a focus group to follow. Choosing a moderator with good interpersonal skills will increase the effectiveness of a focus group. Other things to consider include conducting a pilot test of the focus group in order to ascertain if the script is adequate for the task at hand. At the very beginning one should lay some ground rules to help familiarize and put participants at ease. Examples of this include mentioning that “all ideas and comments have value and that participants should respect others' opinions even when they do not share them. The first question asked by the moderator should be general enough for everyone to have an answer in order to elicit conversation. Questions that begin with “how, what, which, when, and who” are effective in achieving this end. Questions specific to a project, such as, when designing a wireframe prototype of an application's user interface could be “how did you feel using the software?” or “what are the unmet needs of the software program?”. With software products it can be helpful to utilize wireframe or other kinds of prototypes in the discussions. One should be a good listener and observer and not interrupt unless necessary to facilitate the flow of feedback and dynamic group interaction. What are the benefits of focus groups? Focus groups can complement usability testing. They are helpful in psychoanalyzing participants (in the context of your product) as they talk and reveal their inner reasoning, while usability testing tends to follow a behaviorist paradigm as one is more inclined to observe how participants act, leading feedback to be more centered around observable interactions with your product. Focus groups are oftentimes conducted in special facilities that contain two way mirrors allowing team members apart from the moderator(s) to observe the discussion and take notes. This can allow a larger cross-section of your team to analyze the focus group but may also include a project's client, allowing them to witness the feedback for themselves. This can be valuable in winning over a client to your methodology or your line of reasoning. Taping the focus group sections also brings the added benefit of retrospective inquiry. Focus groups can be used at any stage of the development of interface design. What are the drawbacks of focus groups? An unscripted focus group, without the conducting of a skilled moderator, can quickly disintegrate if s/he is unable to keep the discussions on track. With that being said, the moderator must be careful not to inhibit the flow of feedback and should ensure that all group members get to contribute to the focus group. Focus groups can also be time consuming, from the time it takes to adequately prepare the 'script', to targeting members to take part in the study. A time and premises that suits the ideal target users of a focus group study also have to be set up. In addition to relying on the truthfulness of participants, all of the aforementioned including finding an ideal moderator can lead to higher costs making focus groups a costly endeavor. Despite all their drawbacks in terms of effort necessary, using focus groups the right way brings with it added value for designing first class products. This is no less true for software products and their user interface design than it is for physical products like screwdrivers. ==================== About the Author: ==================== Pidoco.com – Interface Design, Wireframe Software, Wireframe Tools, Interface Design Software, Clickable Wireframes and GUI Prototyping Tool. A GUI Design Interface Software for Clickable Wireframes! Wireframe creating and GUI prototyping tool. Fast wireframe creation and remote website usability testing lead to an improved conversion!
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