This document discusses various qualitative research methods including focus groups, depth interviews, home interviews, mall intercept interviews, and computer-assisted personal interviews. It provides details on how each method is conducted, characteristics of each, advantages and disadvantages. Focus groups involve interviewing 8-12 participants in a group setting to obtain insights through discussion. Depth interviews explore attitudes and opinions through one-on-one, open-ended interviews.

2. •Focus group interviews
•Online focus group interviews
•Depth interviews
•Home interviews
•Mall intercept personal interviews
•Computer-assisted personal interviews
•Mail method interviews
•Electronic method interviews
•Telephone methods

3. Focus group interviews
•Obtaining a particular kind of
information
•A focus group typically can be
defined as a group of people who
possess certain characteristics and
provide information of a qualitative
nature in a focused discussion.
• The main purpose of focus group is
to gain insight by listening to a group
of people from the appropriate target
market talk about issues of interest to
the researcher.
•The values of the technique lies in
the unexpected findings often
obtained from a free-flowing group
discussion

4. Characteristics
 Group size 8 to 12
 Group composition homogeneous
 Physical setting relaxed, informal atmosphere
 Time duration 1 to 3 hours
 Recording use of audiocassettes and videotapes
 Moderator observational, interpersonal, and communication
skills of the moderator

5. Focus groups offer several advantages:
 Flexibility allows the moderator to probe for more in-depth analysis
and ask participants to elaborate on their responses.
 Outcomes are quickly known
Limitations include:
 A skilled moderator is essential
 Differences between groups can be troublesome to analyse because
of the qualitative nature of the data.
 Groups are difficult to assemble. People must take the time to come
to a designated place at a particular time.
 Participants may be less candid in their responses in front of peers.

6. Guidelines for Conducting a
Focus Group
1. Develop the Discussion Guide
 Preparing the discussion guide, moderating, and preparing the report.
 What questions will be asked?
 Who will participate?
 Where will the discussions be held?
 Who will conduct the sessions?
 The first order of business is to develop a discussion guide.

7. 2.Reserve a Time and Place
 Reserving a time and place to conduct the discussion is
something that should be done well in advance of the
actual date of the discussion sessions. Finding a location
quickly will allow time to contact potential participants
with the necessary logistical information. Try to find the
most convenient and accessible location for the
participants.

8. 3.Provide an Incentive for Participation
 Incentive is provided to encourage participants
 Various forms of compensation can be used, most commonly a cash
payment, lunch, or dinner. Snacks and beverages also may be provided.
4.Selection of Focus Group Participants
 Good size
 common characteristics

9. Online focus group interviews
•Participation is by
invitation
• prerecruited , generally
from an online list people
• Screening questionnaire
• Receive time, a URL, room
name, and password via
email id.
•Four to six people
participate in the online
group.
•Electronic emotion

10. Advantage
 People all over the country can participate.
 Geographical constraints are removed.
 Internet enables the researcher to reach segment that are usually hard to
survey: doctors, lawyers professionals ,working mothers, and who lead
busy lives and are not interested in focus group.
 Cost is much lower.
Disadvantage
 Only people that have knowledge how to use a computer can be surveyed
online.
 Moderator have no idea what else the respondents may be doing while
participating in group.
 Only audio and visual stimuli can be tested.
 Body language and facial expression, and tone of voice can not be obtained.


11. Depth interviews
• Obtain deep insight about a
consumer’s attitudes and
opinions.
•Exploratory research
•Formulation of a problem
definition
•Conducted with industry experts
or members of the target market
•It is a loosely structured interview
•It lasts from 10 to 30 minutes, but
may go longer.
•Mode of conduct; face to face,
telephone

12. • Start with general question to establish a relationship before continuing with
questions searching for deeper insight or information
 These interviews have applications in both business to business and general
consumer market research.

13. Advantage
 Uncover the greater depth of insights than focus group
 Exchange of the information
 Respond directly to the respondents
Disadvantage
 Expensive as skilled interviewers are called.
 Quality and competency of the result depends on the
interviews’ skill.

14. Home interviews
In personal home interviews,
respondents are interviewed
face to face in their homes.
Interviewer’s task is to
contact the respondents, ask
the questions, and record
the response. In recent
years, the use of home
interviews has declined due
to its high cost.

15. Mall-intercept personal
interviews
 To meet target respondent in malls, in shops.
 The process involves stopping the shoppers, screening them for
appropriateness, and either administering the survey on the spot or inviting
them to a research facility located in the mall to complete the interviews.

16. Advantage
 More efficient for the respondent to come to the
interviewers than for the interviewer to go the
respondents.
 Product oriented approach interview.

17. Computer-assisted personal
interviewing (CAPI)
 Either the respondent or an interviewer sits at a computer terminal
and answers a questionnaire using the keyboard or mouse.
 Colorful screens and on and off-screen stimuli can add to the
respondent's interest and involvement in the task.
 This method has been classified as a personal interview technique
since an interviewer is usually present to serve as a host and to guide
the respondent.
 This approach is used in shopping malls, preceded by the intercept
and screening process.
 It is also used to conduct business-to-business research at trade
shows or conventions.

18. Advantages
 This form of interview is substantially cheaper when a large number of
respondents is required, because
 There is no need to recruit or pay interviewers.
 The program can be placed on a web site, potentially attracting a world-
wide audience
Disadvantage
 He survey is likely to attract only respondents who are "computer savvy",
thus introducing potential bias to the survey.
 The survey can miss feedback, provide clarification/quality control that a
personal interviewer could provide.

19. Mail method interviews
 In mail interviews questionnaire are mailed to preselected potential
respondent.
 A typical mail interview package consists of the outgoing envelope,
cover letter, questionnaire, return envelope, and possibly an
incentive.
 The respondent complete and return the questionnaires.
 There is no verbal interaction between researcher and respondent.
 However, before data collection can begins, the respondents needs to
be identified. Therefore, an initial task is to be obtaining a valid
mailing list. Mailing list can be compiled from telephone directories,
customer association and any other publication list of any company.

20. Electronic method interviews
1. E-mail interviews
To conduct email an e-mail interview, a list of e-mail
address is obtained. The survey is written with in the body
of the e-mail message. The e-mails are sent over the
internet. E-mail surveys use pure text to represent
questionnaire and can be received and respondent to by
anyone with an e-mail address, Whether or not they have
access to the web.

21. Telephone methods
1.Traditional telephone interviews
 Traditional telephonic interviews
involve
 phoning a sample of respondents and
 asking them a series of questions.
 The interviewer uses a paper
questionnaire and records the responses
with pencil.
 Advances in the telecommunication
and technology have made national
wide telephone interviewing from the
central location practical.
 Consequently, the use of telephone
interviewing has decreased in recent
years.

22. 2.Computer – Assisted Telephone
interviewing
 Central location
 A computerized questionnaire
 The interviewer sits in front of computer
terminal and wear a mini –headset the
computer replace a paper and pencil
questionnaire and mini-head set substitute
the telephone.
 Upon command, the computer dials the
telephone number to be called. When
contact is made, the interviewer reads the
question posed on the computer screen and
records the respondents answer directly in
to the memory of computer.
 The computer systematically guides the
interviewer. Only one question at a time
appears on the screen.
 The computer checks the response for
appropriateness and consistency.

23. Advantage
 Smoothly function
 Data quality enhance
 Time is reduced