Advantages of Focus Groups: Synergism, Snowballing, Stimulation, Security, Spontaneity, Speed, Depth Interview Techniques: Laddering, Hidden Issue Questioning, Symbolic Analysis

Advantages of Focus Groups

• Synergism: When a group of people with similar interests discuss an issue together, they are likely to produce a richer insight, wider range of information, and innovative ideas than will individual responses obtained privately.
• Snowballing: In a group discussion, one person’s comment often triggers a chain reaction from the other participants and generates more views.
• Stimulation: Once the focus group discussion is underway, the general level of excitement over the topic increases, and a large number of respondents want to express their ideas and expose their feelings.
• Security: Because of the homogeneity of composition, focus group participants have similar feelings. This enables them to feel comfortable and uninhibited to express their ideas/feelings.
• Spontaneity: In focus groups, participants are not required to answer specific questions. Their responses can be spontaneous and unconventional, reflecting an accurate idea of their views.
• Speed: Because people discuss issues simultaneously, data collection and analysis in focus groups proceed relatively quickly.

Depth Interview Techniques

• Laddering: In laddering, the line of questioning proceeds from product characteristics to user characteristics. This technique allows the researcher to tap into the consumer's network of meanings and probe into consumers' deep underlying psychological and emotional reasons that affect their purchasing decisions.
• Hidden Issue Questioning: In hidden issue questioning, the focus is not on socially shared values but rather on personal “sore spots” and deeply felt personal concerns. These concerns aren’t easily revealed by a direct line of questioning, so an interviewer must exercise tact in getting this kind of information out of the participant.

Symbolic Analysis

Symbolic analysis attempts to analyze the symbolic meaning of objects by comparing them with their opposites.

For example, an interviewer might ask the participant if they regularly use e-mail. If so, what would the participant do if e-mail didn’t exist?