Frequently asked questions about qualitative studies
These are the questions brands ask us most before a qualitative study. In short: at WAV each focus group brings together 6 to 8 people, each session runs 90 to 120 minutes, we price the complete study, and every quote in the report is checked against the recording before delivery.
About the method
What is a focus group?
A conversation led by a moderator with a small group of people who share a defined profile, to understand why they think what they think about a brand, a product or an idea. We explain it in detail in what is a focus group.
How many people take part in a focus group?
At WAV we work with groups of 6 to 8 people. With fewer, the conversation loses contrast; with more, some people barely speak.
How long does a focus group last?
Each session runs 90 to 120 minutes, depending on how many topics and stimuli the discussion guide covers.
How many focus groups do I need?
It depends on how many segments your decision needs to compare. Each segment gets its own group, for example customers and non-customers apart. We set it with you in the first conversation.
Why do you keep customers and non-customers apart?
Because in the same room one side usually goes quiet: customers defend their choice and non-customers keep their objections to themselves. Apart, each group speaks in its own language, and the two can be compared afterwards.
What is the nominal group technique, and why do you use it?
Each person writes down their view before the group discusses it. That way the first person to speak does not sweep the others along, and the quieter people are on record too.
Can a focus group give me percentages?
No. A focus group shows reasons, language and tensions, with the direction and size of what comes up in each group. To know what share of the market thinks something you need a quantitative study. We explain it in qualitative vs quantitative.
Focus group or in-depth interview?
A focus group fits when it matters how people talk each other round; an interview fits when the topic is intimate or the profile is scarce. The full comparison is in focus group or in-depth interview.
Do you run online focus groups?
We run in-person focus groups in Santiago, Chile, because our method depends on the room: a 360 camera and one microphone per person. When each format fits is explained in in-person or online.
About a study with WAV
What does a study with WAV include?
The complete study: design starting from your decision, participant recruitment, the room, moderation, analysis and deliverables in Spanish and English. We do not sell room hours or software licenses.
How much does a focus group cost?
We price per study, all included. The figure depends on how many groups your decision needs, how hard the profile is to recruit, participant incentives, the stimuli to prepare and the deliverables you need. We quote after a half-hour conversation about what you want to decide.
How long does a study take?
It depends on the size of the wave: how many groups, profiles and deliverables. The timeline is written into the proposal before we start.
Do I need a brief?
No. We start from the decision you are going to make and build the design with you in the first conversation.
Who recruits the participants?
We do. We set quotas per group by profile, invite, confirm and report confirmed people against each group's target. An example of how we screen is in the recruitment screener template.
Where does the session take place?
In Santiago, Chile, in a room with one long shared surface for the group, a 360 camera and one microphone per person.
Can I watch the session live?
Yes. The brand can follow the session live as it happens, and also receives the 360 video of each session, recorded with one microphone per person, to return to any minute later and know who said each sentence.
What deliverables do I get?
The 360 video of each session with burned-in English subtitles, the report on the web and as a PDF, a deck to present, and an action tracker with the evidence behind each action.
In which language do I get everything?
The session is in Spanish. Report, deck and tracker arrive in Spanish and English, and the video with burned-in English subtitles.
Can I see a sample report?
Yes. The sample report has the same format a client receives, built from a fictional study of a car brand.
About the evidence
How do you know who said each sentence?
Each person wears their own microphone and a 360 camera records the whole room. WR3, our software, tells who is speaking with 90.4% agreement with a human review, measured on 141 moments of a real session. The detail is in how we measure the figures.
Why is a room microphone not enough?
Because every microphone picks up everyone. In a real focus group, a microphone's wearer was the loudest voice on their own microphone only 11 of 120 seconds, and a hand-built report from a single room microphone could attribute 1 in 10 quoted people.
What is a verified quote?
A quote that passed two checks: its words appear complete and in order in the transcript of that person's turn, and someone listened to it in the recording and confirmed it says what it says. Only verified quotes reach the report.
What happens when WR3 cannot tell who is speaking?
It does not guess: it flags the moment and a person settles it by listening to the recording. A flag beats a guess.
Do you use artificial intelligence?
Yes, as a tool and with human review. WR3 transcribes on our own computers; AI helps to sort and draft, but every quote is checked word for word against the transcript and a person listens to it before it goes into the report.
Can I analyze my focus groups with ChatGPT?
It helps to summarize and sort themes, but it works on the text you give it: it does not know who spoke if the transcript does not say, and its quotes have to be checked word for word. We explain it in is ChatGPT enough to analyze a focus group?.
About data and WAV
What happens to participants' data?
Each participant signs a consent form under Chile's Law 21.719 before entering the room. Deliverables show profiles, not names.
How long do you keep contact details?
Twelve months, the term of the consent, and then they are deleted.
Is the report published online?
No. The web report sits behind a private link that does not appear in search engines.
Who is behind WAV Research?
WAV (We Are Vision), a Chilean company with 20+ years and 600+ experiential marketing projects, now with its own research method.
Do you sell the WR3 software?
No. WR3 is the tool we run the study with; what we deliver is the complete study, with its findings and its evidence.