So how do online focus groups work? Learn how online focus groups are conducted. The presentation includes a high level overview of the various platform options available to conduct online focus groups. Learn how to make the most out of your research budget by utilizing online focus group software to meet your research objectives with ease and success.
3. What are Online Focus Groups?
• Qualitative research engagement
held through computers/mobile
devices connected via the internet
• Effective alternative or
complement to traditional face to
face groups.
• Allow clients to watch the
discussion from a “virtual” back
room similar to the back room of
a physical focus group
4. What are Online Focus Groups?
Here’s an illustration of what
happens in a virtual setting:
• The moderator asks participants
questions in the online software
• Clients observe the conversation
through the virtual back room
5. What are Online Focus Groups?
• Similar to physical focus
groups, participants provide
feedback
• The moderator then probes
the participants to get
deeper insights
6. What are Online Focus Groups?
• Clients, watching from the
virtual backroom, talk
privately together and
identify additional
questions
7. What are Online Focus Groups?
• Clients talk privately to the
moderator and suggest the new
questions for the moderator to
ask participants
8. What are Online Focus Groups?
• The moderator asks the
new questions to the
participants to probe
deeper into participant
answers
9. Traditional and Online Focus Groups
• To illustrate the parallels between
online and traditional focus groups, we
will show where the main areas of each
are located.
• We will demonstrate this through one of
the itracks’ online focus group software
products, itracks Chat.
18. Steps to Conduct an Online Focus Group
Step 1 – Recruit participants and email invites
Step 2 – Insert discussion guide questions and add stimuli you would
like to display
Step 3 – Conduct group – interact with clients & probe for deeper
answers
Step 4 – Reporting – download transcript, videos etc. or view in
software
19. Recruitment for Online & Mobile Research
•Questions on:
•Comfort Level
•Device Compatibility
•Project Related Specs
•Setting Expectations:
•Explanations of the
process (# Days,
Mobile device, Video
taping home ,
Homework)
•Timelines
•Incentives
•Online Screener
Programmed and
Tested
Screener
Development
•Targeted Sample or
Client Supplied List
(poss. Mult.
vendors)
•Daily updates from
PM
•Determine
additional
equipment needs
Screener In-Field
•Send products for
testing
•Send additional
equipment
Mail Out
(if applicable)
•Phone
Confirmations
•Rescreening
•Technical Checks on
new hardware
•Test Activity
Participant Checks
•Reminder Calls or
emails
•Moderator
Engagement/
Probing
Study Runs
20. Types of Online Focus Groups
• There are different types of online focus group software,
each with different benefits and features for different
scenarios
21. itracks Chat
• Real-time focus group
• Project time frame: 1 -2 hours
• Recommended sample size:
8-12 participants (no technical
limit)
• Discussion type: real-time
(everyone logs in at once)
• Report output: transcript
• Language capabilities offered
• Patented chat backroom
22. itracks Chat
Real-time chat focus groups work
great for:
• Areas with limited internet
bandwidth
• Projects with tight deadlines
• Projects that require anonymity
• Studies that require multiple
languages
• User experience for participants
and moderators is best enjoyed
from a desktop and keyboard
• Observers can better enjoy
viewing from a mobile device
23. itracks Board
• Fully integrated online discussion and
mobile app
• Project time frame: 1 -7 days
• Recommended sample size:
15-20 participants (up to 50)
• Discussion type: asynchronous
(threaded discussion, participants log in at
their own convenience)
• Report output: transcript with embedded
video, highlight reel, tagged videos
• Language capabilities offered
• Patented chat backroom
24. Bulletin board focus groups work
great for:
• In-home usage testing
• Ethnography and diary
studies
• Concept testing with
feedback cycles
itracks Board
25. itracks Community
• Interactive channel to communicate with
customers
• Project time frame: 1 month +
• Recommended sample size:
30+ participants (up to 400)
• Discussion type: asynchronous (threaded
discussion, participants log in at their own
convenience)
• Report output: transcript with embedded
video, highlight reel, tagged videos
• Language capabilities, backroom
• Leaderboards
• Fully integrated mobile app
26. Community focus groups
work great for:
• Mini communities
• Proprietary panels
• Medium-term feedback
engagements
itracks Community
27. • Turning online focus groups into face
to face discussions
• Project time frame: 30 minutes – 2
hours
• Recommended sample size:
1-6 participants (up to 8) (1 for IDI’s)
• Discussion type: real-time
(everyone logs in at once)
• Report output: video file
• Language capabilities offered
• Patented chat backroom
itracks Video Chat
28. Video focus groups work
great for:
• Research where
capturing facial
expressions is important
• Research with
participants in remote
locations
• Projects requiring
limited budgets (reduce
travel costs)
itracks Video Chat
30. Diaries/Journaling
• Major supplier of beverages
• Objective: Find out how hydration fits into an active lifestyle
• Targeted customer segment in a specific geography
• Week long journal – itracks Mobile
• Videos of beverage experiences, feelings and emotions
• Photos of beverage storage areas
• IDI via itracks Video Chat
31. In-home Usage Test
• Great Blue Research was asked to conduct research for a large cleaning systems manufacturing
company
• Objective: insights into customer flooring and cleaning needs – representative national sample
(US)
• Prior to online approach, the study had been conducted with researchers travelling to
respondent homes. Client required the same quality of insight with a reduced budget in the
current year
• Multiple phases of online quantitative and mobile qualitative. Discussion topics and video
activities captured utilization of the product using mobile app.
• Two online qualitative studies during the usage testing period over 30 days
• Product was shipped to respondents and returned to
client with return shipping labels
32. In-home Usage Test
“The client fell in love with the technology, and the participants had a blast cleaning their floors
(imagine that!), with the video and picture posting, and providing their opinions on the product
being tested.
What our client loves about this technology is first and foremost, the deeper dive they receive
with the online participants…determining the “whys” behind the “whats”. Our client enjoys
interacting with the bulletin board and has marketing team meetings huddled with the bulletin
board sessions displayed on a projector screen. How great is that!
Lastly, our client has been able to save tens of thousands of dollars in travel and focus group
facility expenses. The economic impact is huge for them being a global provider of their
products…”
Mark DeNicolo VP Operations, GreatBlue
33. Mobile Ethnography and Video IDI’s
• Kinemedica Market Solutions did a study looking at medical injection devices to
understand how current alternatives were being used by patients and Nurse practitioners
• Required a research data collection solution which would allow the capture of
quantitative responses for segmentation as well as qualitative responses in the form of
video, device demonstration and media assessment
• Conducted quantitative exercises and qualitative exercises with in itracks Board
• Respondents were able to utilize their mobile devices to record their feedback and
submit videos
• Time-challenged nurses were able to participate at anytime and from anywhere
maximizing participation rates
34. Mobile Ethnography and Video IDI’s
“The ability to derive both quantitative results and explore the reasons for patient and
nurse perceptions and preferences was invaluable to the success of this project.
The technical support provided by the itracks’ team was excellent and always responsive,
even in the middle of the holiday season.
The respondents actually ENJOYED the interviews, and the visual output had great impact
on the decisions our client needed to make. The client got to observe the results in real
time, and they asked additional questions throughout the course of the study, either to
groups or individuals. It wasn’t just “voice of the customer”, it was non-intrusive
ethnography, collected from dozens of geographically diverse respondents, in three
days. Supplemented by quantitative output. That provides tremendous market research
value.”
Rebekkah Carney, MIM, Principal, Kinemedica Market Solutions.
35. In-store/ In-home – Star Produce
• A major produce supplier to grocery chains needed consumer feedback for a product
launch prior to an upcoming holiday – a new type of tomato
• Using itracks’ board, we asked a group of consumers to purchase two types of
tomatoes, record their experience in-store, record themselves preparing the meal, and
test the planned packaging
• They were able to turn around this project that they otherwise would not have been
able to organize, and to test the in-store/home environments at a fraction of the cost
of traditional methods
37. General Benefits of Online Focus Groups
• Allows for more in-depth conversations
• Cost effective
• Great solution for fast turnaround projects
• Accessible
• Available in any language
• Virtual is the new way of communication
• especially with younger populations
38. Tips for Getting Started
• Educate yourself
• Free training, comprehensive training programs
• Depending on your needs, hire an experienced moderator to conduct
group or co-moderate with you
• Select a high-quality platform supplier
• Consider security, breadth of offering, ability to maintain project
• Develop your online communication techniques
• Online/text communication is expressive, but in a different way
39. Resources
• Visit our resources area for free
webinars, product demos,
articles, case studies on online
qualitative research and
software at
www.itracks.com/resources
• Recommended case study:
Webinar recording from a first time online
focus group user/researcher, Mindy
Miraglia, “Making the Leap to Mobile and
Online”
