Traditional Focus Groups

A focus group is a moderated discussion involving a small group of deliberately selected participants. In traditional focus groups participants meet in one location with a researcher or moderator for up to two hours and discuss specific research topics (e.g., new product concepts, ad testing, political views, etc.). The moderator leads the group discussion through a sequence of pre-determined questions meant to mimic a natural conversation. This sequence of questions is often referred to as a discussion guide.

Where focus groups differ from interviews and surveys is the interaction between group members. Members are encouraged to respond to and bounce ideas off each other, even to the point of influencing each other’s thinking. The moderator guides the flow of the discussion, using highly skilled techniques to ensure that each participant voices their opinion, and all the research questions are addressed, while remaining a neutral observer.

Traditional focus groups are typically held at a research facility. To avoid bias, the research sponsors or stakeholders are not involved in the group discussion, but may observe the focus group in real time, either through streaming video or by watching through a one-way mirror.

The perceived benefits of traditional focus groups include:

• Interaction and collaboration between participants stimulate deeper insights than a simple survey
• Both verbal and non-verbal feedback such as, language, tone of voice, and facial expressions are observed and analyzed
• A group dynamic allows for faster data collection than in-depth face-to-face interviews

The potential drawbacks of traditional focus groups are:

• Participants must be located near a research facility
• The cost and time required to travel from market to market
• Limited geographic reach due to cost, travel and facility locations
• Difficult in emerging regions due to infrastructure challenges, dispersed populations, and other factors

Recruiting Qualified Participants

Whether traditional or virtual, the general idea behind focus groups is that the group participants are representative of a larger population – and therefore their thoughts and reactions can be expected to reflect the views of that larger population. For this to be true, researchers must have a clear definition of the target population for their study.

Researchers typically work with their clients/the organization conducting the research to define the qualifying demographics and characteristics of their target audience, and then develop a screener or questionnaire to identify individuals that meet those qualifications. The screener is developed in a way that obscures the target criteria for the study so that potential respondents answer each question truthfully, rather than guessing at answers they believe the recruiter is looking for.

Because focus groups involve far fewer participants than other modes of research and each participant is expected to represent a larger population, it is imperative that each participant is both fully qualified for the study and able to express themselves effectively in a group conversation. Skilled recruiters are trained to keep the target criteria masked during the screening process and in methods for ascertaining a potential respondent’s honesty, cooperativeness, and articulateness.

Online Focus Groups

Online focus groups can be run through multiple methods, including video calls, web-based chats, and mobile-based chats. All of these methods aim to gather the same type of qualitative information gathered through traditional focus groups, but they allow respondents who are unable to travel to a research center to participate.

Virtual Video Focus Groups

With the expansion of broadband connectivity and the integration of video cameras into most laptops, tablets, and smartphones, the popularity of virtual focus groups has grown significantly in the past few years. The recent travel restrictions and lock-down measures due to COVID-19 have further pushed many companies and researchers to transition their intended in-person research online – including focus groups.

Online or virtual focus groups function almost identically to traditional focus groups, except the moderator and participants interact online via webcam. A number of virtual focus group facilities and software solutions enable moderators to present and mark-up stimuli, and for participants to interact with each other and the moderator as if they were sitting in the same room.

Virtual focus groups maintain many of the benefits of traditional focus groups without the travel costs. Some participants may also be more comfortable talking on camera than face-to-face. On the downside, broadband and webcam requirements severely limit the reach and representativeness of virtual focus groups, particularly in emerging regions of the world.

Mobile-Based Focus Groups

Conducting focus groups in emerging markets such as those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America or with other hard-to-reach respondents can present particular challenges. Traditional focus groups are expensive and infeasible when working with audiences located across wide geographic regions, and virtual video focus groups are limited to participants with a broadband connection and a working webcam. To sidestep these issues, many researchers have started to leverage Market Research Online Communities or MROCs. MROCs are custom recruited communities that researchers can tap into for either quick turn-around results or longitudinal data collection.

MROCs operate similarly to focus groups, only conducted virtually through a web-based chat. After recruiting and inviting participants to join an MROC, a skilled moderator engages with the community to solicit feedback, provide prompts and guide group discussion. When conducted via mobile phones, MROCs allow researchers to reach previously unreachable markets and populations.

Mobile-based MROCs such as those which GeoPoll facilitates are often conducted via a chat app, with participants and the moderator engaging in a discussion via their mobile devices. Mobile-based MROCs also allow researchers to engage with their target audience in an extended conversation rather than a two-hour session. Participants can be recruited for a one-time, multi-day discussion or for a continuous community that it incentivized to remain active to explore changes in opinion over a longer period of time.

The advantages of mobile-based focus groups include:

• Researchers can gather data from participants in remote locations
• Participants can engage when it is convenient for them
• Research can chat with participants over an extended period of time
• Mobile phones enable participants to take and share video and picture data

Some potential disadvantages of mobile-based focus groups include:

• The drop-off rate can be higher with remote mobile participants
• Researchers cannot observe non-verbal reactions the same as in-person groups

Conduct Mobile-Based Focus Groups in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

GeoPoll has experience collecting qualitative data through multiple mobile-based methods, including MROCs. GeoPoll’s mobile-based MROCs provide the best option for collecting in-depth insights from audiences across Africa and other emerging regions. Using GeoPoll’s unique mobile-based focus groups, you can gather high-quality qualitative data in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional research methods. To learn more or request a quote, contact us today.

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Difference Between Quantitative and Qualitative Data

The primary difference between quantitative and qualitative data is that quantitative data represents data that can easily be measured or quantified, such as the number of people who have bought a product. Qualitative data represent opinions or feelings and cannot be represented by a numerical statistic such as an average.

For example, if a survey asked 500 respondents the question “Did you buy ice cream today?”, and 300 responded ‘yes’ while 200 responded ‘no’, we would know that 300/500 or 60% bought milk, a quantitative fact. If the same survey asked an open-ended follow-up question: “Why did you choose the brand of ice cream you bought?” you would receive qualitative insights that are unique to each respondent. One person may say, ‘I liked the packaging and label colors’ while another may state, ‘It was the first one I saw on the shelf.’ These descriptive insights cannot easily be quantified into numbers, so they are qualitative.

Qualitative vs Quantitative Analysis

Another difference between quantitative and qualitative research is how data is analyzed. While quantitative data can be analyzed statistically and calculated into averages, means, and other numerical data points, qualitative data analysis involves a more complex system.

To glean insights from qualitative data, researchers conduct a manual analysis of datasets and often code responses into categories. For example, to analyze focus group data, researchers could review transcripts or recordings and group similar sentiments together into categories. Due to this manual process, qualitative data analysis is a longer and more labor-intensive process than quantitative data analysis, which is another factor to keep in mind when deciding what type of data to collect.

While some methods such as focus groups typically collect qualitative data, other methods such as surveys often collect quantitative and qualitative data within one survey instrument, as outlined below.

Quantitative Data Examples

Quantitative data is collected through several methods, including surveys, controlled experiments, and certain observation types. Quantitative data types include:

• Yes/no questions
  • “Did you go to work today? 1) Yes 2) No”
• Single choice questions
  • “What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? 1) Vanilla 2) Chocolate 3) Cookie Dough 4) Peppermint 5) Chocolate chip”
• Multiple choice or ‘select-all-that-apply’ questions
  • “Which of the following products did you buy last week? 1) Toothpaste 2) Soap 3) Vegetables 4) Meat 5) Grains 6) Bread”
• Ranking questions
  • “Please rank the statement ‘I enjoy ice cream’ from 1: Strongly disagree to 5: Strongly agree”
• Numerical range questions
  • “How much money did you spend at the grocery store today? Please respond with a dollar amount”
• Quantitative observations
  • Observations that can be categorized or quantified, such as the number of times a person checks their phone in a given time. These observations often take place in a controlled environment.

As all of these question types collect data that fit into set categories or can be calculated into averages and other statistics, they are quantitative.

Qualitative Data Examples

Qualitative data can also be collected through certain types of survey questions, in addition to interviews and focus groups. Examples of qualitative data include:

• Open-ended survey questions
  • “Why is cookie dough your favorite flavor of ice cream?”
• Unstructured or semi-structured interviews
  • Unstructured and semi-structured interviews allow topics and questions to flow naturally, rather than only asking questions from a set question list in a specific order.
• Focus groups
  • In focus groups, multiple people have a discussion (in-person or via an online or mobile-based chat group) facilitated by a trained moderator who gives prompts to start conversations.
• Unstructured observation
  • Researchers can gather qualitative data through unstructured observations, such as observing participants as they partake in certain activities such as shopping.
• Documents or content analysis
  • Reviewing documents to better understand a particular topic or categorize elements of documents is a type of qualitative research.

Data collected from these methods and question types do not provide numerical statistics but instead, give insights that are often longer and more detailed than their quantitative counterparts.

When Should I Use Quantitative or Qualitative Research?

Once you understand the types of data provided by qualitative and quantitative research and the methods for each, it’s essential to understand how to utilize each type of data best. Generally, quantitative data is used to answer precise questions and prove or disprove hypotheses, while qualitative data provides richer insights on a smaller scale.

Qualitative research is often conducted at the beginning of a study when researchers are looking to gather broad, unstructured information on a topic to create a hypothesis, which can then be more clearly answered by quantitative research. Qualitative data collected through unstructured interviews or focus groups can also inform the development of a more structured questionnaire administered to a larger group.

For example, a focus on different ice cream brands may uncover that participants generally consider price and packaging first. That information can then be inputted into a quantitative question: “Which is more important to you when buying ice cream? 1) Price 2) Packaging” administered to a nationally representative sample.

Qualitative data may also be used as part of a mixed-methods research study to add additional context to quantitative data. A researcher may administer both a quantitative questionnaire and conduct a qualitative analysis of interviews with subject-matter experts to form a more robust conclusion.

Surveys can also be split between qualitative and quantitative; Many surveys are mostly quantitative questions that can be quickly analyzed, plus one or two qualitative questions that provide deeper insights into the topic being studied.

Quantitative vs Qualitative Data: Definitions and Uses Cheat Sheet

GeoPoll has experience designing and administering both quantitative and qualitative research studies around the globe. Our research methods include surveys with closed-ended and open-ended question capabilities, mobile-based focus groups, concept testing, and more. To learn more about GeoPoll’s capabilities, please contact us today.

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Ways to conduct qualitative research in Africa through the mobile phone

GeoPoll has had success conducting qualitative research in Africa through what are called Market Research Online Communities, which are commonly referred to as “MROCs” (/em/raks/). MROCs are not a new research method globally but because they have traditionally been conducted online through desktop computers it has been difficult to gather a representative population to participate.

In order to meet the demand for faster and more cost-effective qualitative research in Africa, Unilever’s Consumer Markets and Insights group and GeoPoll recently came up with an innovative way to conduct MROCs via the mobile phone. The idea stemmed from Unilever’s need to collect qualitative information from populations in Africa who are difficult to reach through in-person methods. By developing and piloting a process that allows MROCs to be conducted through mobile phones, Unilever has been able to gather valuable feedback on their products.

Mobile based MROCs vs. focus groups

Mobile based MROCs are similar to focus groups in that they both have moderators and provide incentives to participants, but one of the key differentiators is that the conversations in rather than a few hours. Mobile based MROCs also support multimedia use, meaning participants can be prompted to send pictures and videos to the group. This is important because it enables the research conductors to see into the lives of study participants. In the following sections of this post, examples of the importance of multimedia capabilities for MROCs will be shown.

Situational applications for qualitative research in Africa

Identifying pain points

One example of an application of an MROC would be for brands to use the interactive platform for consumers to explain their pain points with a certain product or service.

Similar to a focus group, MROCs have moderators that guide the discussion, as well as participants who can make comments that spur conversation. This can be useful for identifying pain points because you can see if participants agree or disagree on pain points and why.

Understanding consumers’ purchasing decisions

Through MROCs, moderators can guide the conversation to determine what aspects of a purchase are most important to the participants. For example, a moderator can ask probing questions about how price, quality, longevity, sustainability, brand name, and/or accessibility of a product impact the product they choose to purchase over the competing products.

Additionally, moderators can gather feedback on what aspect of a purchase is most likely to get the participants to try a new product or service, which is especially valuable for brands penetrating a new market.

Understanding how consumers use a product or service

MROCs are valuable for gaining an understanding of how consumers use a product or service in their daily lives. Humans by nature are resourceful creatures who can use an item intended for one purpose and adapt that product for another use. As a brand, the alternate uses of a product can be useful for product extension or brand diversification. A good example of this could be a toothpaste company finding out that their toothpaste is being used to polish kitchen fixtures or to treat acne or insect bites.

By using MROCs to gather such information, participants have the ability to provide pictures and videos from their daily lives to the group. Imagine a company that is focused on launching a revolutionary new kitchen gadget, for example. This company could ask MROC participants to video themselves cooking a family meal and send it to the group. The study organizers can then see first-hand how consumers are cooking and how their new gadget can fill the consumer’s unique needs, which also helps marketers position the product when it goes to market.

Takeaways

MROCs are a tool for research studies that can be used creatively to accomplish a wide variety of goals. The ability to use mobile-based MROCs in African markets is a new development that opens up a world of possibility for qualitative research studies, which have traditionally been too costly to justify.

Today, conducting qualitative and quantitative studies in Africa is easier than ever before, and GeoPoll has the capacity to facilitate both for your organization. To learn more about our capabilities, contact us today.

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