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Using Focus Groups to Collect User
Experience Data: A How-To Guide From
Planning to Data Analysis

Kinsey Gimbel, Jennifer Romano Bergstrom,
Hilary Ross, Bryan Wiggins

User Focus 2012
Developing Content
1. Mix up activities and get participants
    talking early.
  –   Timeline
  –   Videos/Images
  –   Rating exercises
2. Have participants write down answers before
   discussing to avoid groupthink.
3. Quantitative data can supplement the
   qualitative, ensuring opinions are not just
   from the loudest participants.
Planning Your Groups

1. Make sure your recruiter is comfortable
   recruiting your target audience
2. Pick a moderator your participants are
   willing to open up to
3. Engage your stakeholders
Moderating Groups

1. Respect your participants
  – Value their time
  – Value their opinions
2. Be comfortable with silence and
   awkwardness
  – Understand that it’s not a natural interaction
  – Give participants space to think
3. Data are the point
  – Groups don’t have to be fun to be valuable
  – “Bad news is good data”
Reporting Data

1. Most important findings           White Females
  – Goal of the study
  – Don’t have to share it all
2. Usable data
  – What speaks to your
    audience?
                                 African American Females
3. Client reports, briefs,
   presentations

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Using Focus Groups to Collect User Experience Data (Kinsey Gimbel & Jennifer Romano Bergstrom & Hilary Ross & Bryan Wiggins)

  • 1. Using Focus Groups to Collect User Experience Data: A How-To Guide From Planning to Data Analysis Kinsey Gimbel, Jennifer Romano Bergstrom, Hilary Ross, Bryan Wiggins User Focus 2012
  • 2. Developing Content 1. Mix up activities and get participants talking early. – Timeline – Videos/Images – Rating exercises 2. Have participants write down answers before discussing to avoid groupthink. 3. Quantitative data can supplement the qualitative, ensuring opinions are not just from the loudest participants.
  • 3. Planning Your Groups 1. Make sure your recruiter is comfortable recruiting your target audience 2. Pick a moderator your participants are willing to open up to 3. Engage your stakeholders
  • 4. Moderating Groups 1. Respect your participants – Value their time – Value their opinions 2. Be comfortable with silence and awkwardness – Understand that it’s not a natural interaction – Give participants space to think 3. Data are the point – Groups don’t have to be fun to be valuable – “Bad news is good data”
  • 5. Reporting Data 1. Most important findings White Females – Goal of the study – Don’t have to share it all 2. Usable data – What speaks to your audience? African American Females 3. Client reports, briefs, presentations