Focus groups

A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of respondents are asked about their feeling, opinions, perceptions, and attitudes toward a new product, concept, or service. This is used typically in the discovery phase when organizations wish to create an overall direction for a new product concept. They can also be used in the evaluation phase as a last check before launching the new product, to test market the new product, name the new product, explore packaging alternatives, or to gain feedback regarding market launch strategies.

Typically, a focus group is an interview conducted by a trained moderator with a small group of respondents. The respondents are recruited on the basis of a predefined criterion, and could include demographics, attitudes, buying behavior, or other behavior signals. Quite often, the interviews are held in a specially designed room with two-way mirrors, allowing the organization the ability to monitor the interactions via two-way mirrors...