User Profiling Techniques - Focus Groups
What is a focus group
A focus group is a structured discussion with an 'expert' group of users.
Purpose
The purpose of a focus group is to bring together the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, preferences and experiences of different customers.
Advantages
A focus group is an effective method to use group dynamics to:
- obtain a large amount of material in a short period, and
- evaluate different concepts and explore new ideas.
Disadvantages
Focus groups:
- need careful unbiased facilitation,
- generate purely qualitative data based on user perceptions and expectations,
- need significant preparation and coordination efforts, and
- can be expensive and resource intensive, especially if participants are geographically dispersed.
Example of a focus group session
See: Focus Group Discussion Guide for an example.
Contact for information on this page: nsip@finance.gov.au