Focus groups have been a mainstay of market research for decades and are well known to both researchers and non-researchers. For instance, hearing “I want to run a focus group” from a client can sometimes mean they want to pursue research in general (that happened to me countless times).
Focus groups are well known enough to the general public to be used as comic fodder such as the Snickers ad about focus groups. If you haven’t seen it yet, here it is:
Focus groups can yield great insights about what customers are actually doing, thinking, and wanting. But there are risks with focus groups too: run a couple of “bad” groups and you’re out $10,000 or more with few insights. If you’re not seasoned in managing focus group projects, you can get up to speed quickly in four short weeks with our Managing Focus Groups class!
In four 90-minute sessions, rockstar instructor Delanea Davis works with students to go through, step-by-step, the process of planning and managing a focus group project. Here’s an overview:
- Week 1: Learn about specifying objectives and documenting a plan
- Week 2: Learn about facility selection, online focus group platforms, screening, and managing the recruitment process
- Week 3: Learn how to work with a moderator (we have moderators available through our Rent-a-Researcher program), coordinate with the facility, and manage clients for the observation process
- Week 4: Explore project conclusion best practices and reporting options (for a deep dive into reporting, check out Writing Qualitative Research Reports)
If you want to round out your qualitative skills, this class is one of seven approved classes for the Insights Association Certificate in Qualitative Research Principles.
Register now for Managing Focus Groups and learn more about the Insights Association at their upcoming NEXT2017 conference in May!
