How to run a focus group, step by step
A focus group is a guided conversation with a small group of people from a defined profile, usually six to ten, to understand why they think what they think about a brand, a product or an idea. It takes seven steps: define the decision, choose who to listen to, write the moderator guide, recruit, record the session, analyze from evidence and deliver something you can decide with.
1. Start from the decision, not the questions
The most expensive mistake is designing a focus group out of curiosity. Before writing a single question, define which decision you will make with the result and which answer would change your mind. If no possible answer would change what you are going to do, the study is pointless, and it is better to know that before paying for it.
2. Choose who you need to hear
Define the segments that matter for that decision and run one table per segment. Mixing customers and non-customers at the same table tends to silence one of the two groups, so keep them apart. Set quotas per table (age, gender, product use) and write them down before recruiting, so you can later compare what you asked for with who showed up.
3. Write the moderator guide
The guide splits the session into blocks, each with its goal and its minutes. Two rules make it much better:
- Individual before group. If each person writes their view before speaking, the group does not drag the quieter ones along. It is the basis of the nominal group technique.
- Questions that don't suggest the answer. "What did you think?" instead of "Didn't it feel really comfortable?".
4. Recruit with a margin
Invite by quota, confirm in writing and send a reminder the day before. Some people always fail to show, so recruit more than you need to seat. Track confirmed people against each table's target, not just overall.
5. Record so you can return to every sentence
Anything not clearly recorded is lost in analysis. Ideally you want video of the whole table and separate audio per person: with a single room microphone it is very hard to know afterwards who said what. Every participant should sign consent before entering; in Chile, under Law 21.719 on personal data protection.
6. Analyze from evidence
Transcribe, identify who is speaking at each moment, and only then look for patterns. Every finding should carry at least one literal quote and the profile of who said it. And a warning: a focus group is not a survey. Report the direction and size of what you found, with the real number of people behind it, but don't present it as statistics.
7. Deliver something you can decide with
A good deliverable answers the decision from step 1. Besides the report, a short deck for the board usually helps, along with the key moments on video and a list of actions with their deadline and the evidence behind them.
Common mistakes
- Writing the guide before defining the decision.
- Seating profiles that inhibit each other at the same table.
- Recording with only an ambient microphone.
- Quoting from memory, or attributing a sentence to the wrong person.
- Presenting "7 out of 10 people" as if it were a market share.