This is one of the most common Qualitative Research methods. The participant group comes together and engages in the Group Discussion, guided by a Moderator. The Moderator directs the entire discussion with the aim of meeting the objectives of the study. A focus group usually consists of 6 to 8 people belonging to a specific category, which qualifies them to be a part of the target group.
FGDs can be used to collect in-depth information that cannot be obtained using surveys. They provide us a chance to gather many insights in detail. They are helpful when we require a deeper level of understanding on a particular subject.
Focus Group discussions are conducted in a special setting with recording and observing equipment. The Focus Group rooms have a one-way mirror and the observer team sitting in the adjoining room can observe the discussion.
Advantages of Focus Group Discussions include:
- They provide a wide variety of perceptions, ideas and opinions
- FGDs are less time consuming
- They help us gather more information with respect to the opinions of the participants, feedback, etc
- The Moderator has the control and ensures that only relevant and useful ideas are discussed
- As there is a free flow of ideas in an FGD, it leads to the generation of new insights
- The reaction of the target customer can be directly observed by the Client through the focus group
- The results of an FGD are clear and easily understandable as the process is dynamic and interactive
