The Different Types of Focus Groups

The Different Types of Focus Groups

Focus groups come in many forms—from product testing to mock juries. Discover the different types of focus groups, what each one involves, and what to expect as a participant.

Focus Groups, Participant

2 min read

Focus groups come in many shapes and sizes. While the format may feel familiar—small group, guided discussion, open sharing—the actual purpose and content of each session can vary widely.

If you’re participating in a focus group for the first time (or even the fifth), it can be helpful to know what kind of group you’re stepping into. Below is a breakdown of the most common types of focus groups and what to expect in each one.

1. Product Testing Focus Groups

These sessions are all about evaluating a physical product—either one that already exists or a prototype that hasn’t hit the market yet. You might be asked to use or observe a product and then share your honest opinions on its look, feel, function, or usefulness.

What to Expect:

  • You may be given a product to hold, test, or try out.
  • Questions might focus on usability, packaging, pricing, or first impressions.
  • Companies are often looking for deal-breakers—what would make you buy (or not buy) the item?

2. Advertising and Messaging Focus Groups

In these sessions, you’ll likely be shown commercials, social media ads, taglines, or packaging mockups. The goal is to understand how the messaging lands with real people—before it goes public.

What to Expect:

  • You’ll watch or read sample ads or messages, then react to them.
  • Questions often focus on emotional response: Did it make sense? Did it resonate? Was anything confusing or off-putting?
  • Your feedback may help shape the final campaign.

3. Concept Testing Focus Groups

Sometimes, companies want feedback on an idea before anything has been built. These sessions explore early-stage concepts—like an app idea, new service offering, or business name.

What to Expect:

  • You’ll be introduced to a rough concept and asked for your thoughts.
  • You might discuss your needs, pain points, or whether the idea solves a real problem.
  • You’re helping determine if the idea is worth pursuing.

4. Political and Social Issue Focus Groups

These groups are often used during elections, policy research, or advocacy campaigns. You’ll be asked about your values, opinions on current issues, or reactions to political messaging.

What to Expect:

  • You may hear talking points or campaign messages and respond to them.
  • The moderator may explore how certain phrases or images affect your opinion.
  • These sessions may include more sensitive or personal questions—but your honesty is what makes them valuable.

5. Trial or Mock Jury Focus Groups

These unique sessions simulate a courtroom experience. Attorneys present a case summary, and participants—acting as jurors—share their thoughts on arguments, evidence, and possible verdicts. It helps legal teams understand how different types of people might respond to their case.

What to Expect:

  • You may hear both sides of a legal case and be asked to deliberate or give a verdict.
  • You’ll be encouraged to share what influenced your thinking—what felt believable or persuasive.
  • No legal experience is necessary—your everyday reasoning is exactly what attorneys want to study.

6. Customer Experience Focus Groups

Some companies use focus groups to understand your experience as a customer or user. This could involve discussing a shopping trip, website experience, or customer service interaction.

What to Expect:

  • You’ll be asked to recall a recent experience and walk through it step by step.
  • Topics might include ease of use, helpfulness, pain points, and satisfaction.
  • These sessions aim to improve service or simplify user journeys.

7. Brand Perception Focus Groups

These sessions focus on how people perceive a company, brand, or public figure—whether they trust it, relate to it, or feel anything at all about it.

What to Expect:

  • You may be asked word-association questions or to describe your feelings about a brand.
  • The goal is to surface emotional or instinctive reactions.
  • You don’t need to be a customer—your perception alone is helpful.

What All Focus Groups Have in Common

While each focus group has its own purpose, the participant experience is often similar:

  • A trained moderator guides the discussion.
  • Everyone is encouraged to speak freely—there are no wrong answers.
  • Sessions usually last between 60–120 minutes.
  • Feedback is confidential and used for research only.
  • Participants are compensated for their time and insights.

No matter the topic, the most helpful participants are those who speak openly and honestly. Whether you’re reacting to a new product, evaluating a legal case, or responding to a political message, your voice helps shape decisions that affect products, services, and strategies across industries.

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What to Expect in a Focus Group

What to Expect in a Focus Group

Never joined a focus group before? Learn exactly what to expect—from how sessions are run to what you’ll be asked, how you’re compensated, and why your opinion matters more than you think.

Focus Groups, Participant

2 min read

If you’ve been invited to join a focus group, congratulations—your opinion is about to make a real impact. Focus groups are a powerful tool used by companies, brands, researchers, and political organizations to better understand how people think, feel, and respond to ideas, products, and messages.

But if you’ve never participated in one before, you might have questions. What actually happens during a session? Do you need to prepare? Will your opinion really matter?

 

Here’s everything you need to know about what to expect when participating in a focus group.

What Is a Focus Group?

A focus group is a small group discussion—usually 6 to 10 participants—led by a trained moderator. The goal is to gather in-depth feedback on a specific topic, product, message, or idea. You might be asked to react to a new ad campaign, talk through your experience using a product, or share your perspective on a social or political issue.

Focus groups are considered a form of qualitative research, meaning they aim to uncover the why behind people’s thoughts and behavior—not just the what. Your candid feedback helps organizations shape better strategies, messaging, and decisions.

What Happens During a Focus Group?

Focus group sessions typically last 60 to 120 minutes. Whether in-person or virtual, they follow a clear structure—but the conversation is free-flowing and open-ended.

Here’s what a typical session might look like:

  1. Welcome and Introduction: The moderator will greet the group, explain the purpose of the session, and outline the ground rules. This is your chance to get comfortable and understand the topic.
  2. Discussion Prompts: You’ll be asked a series of open-ended questions. These may include opinions on products, responses to ads, or feelings about a particular issue. You might be shown visuals, listen to audio, or test out a prototype.
  3. Sharing Perspectives: Everyone is encouraged to speak honestly. There are no right or wrong answers—just your personal opinion. Sometimes group members will build on each other’s comments, which helps bring new ideas to the surface.
  4. Follow-Up Probing: The moderator may ask follow-up questions to better understand your reasoning or emotional reaction. This helps uncover deeper insights that can’t be captured through surveys.
  5. Wrap-Up: The session ends with a brief closing, and participants are thanked for their time. If compensation is offered, you’ll be reminded of how and when to receive it.

Will I Be Judged or Evaluated?

Not at all. Focus groups are not tests or job interviews. You’re not being graded—and there are no expectations beyond honesty.

In fact, disagreement is encouraged. Your unique perspective is exactly what researchers want to hear. Even if you’re the only one in the room who feels a certain way, that insight can be incredibly valuable.

Will My Answers Be Kept Private?

Yes. Most focus groups are recorded (either via audio or video) for research purposes only, but your responses are confidential. Your name and personal information will never be publicly shared, and anything you say will be used strictly for internal analysis.

Do I Need to Prepare?

Not at all. You don’t need to study, research, or do anything in advance. The goal is to capture your natural, unfiltered reaction. Just bring your thoughts, your voice, and your willingness to share.

If there’s anything specific you’ll be reviewing (like a product or document), you’ll be informed beforehand.

Will I Be Paid?

Yes—most focus groups offer compensation as a thank-you for your time. The amount varies depending on the length and type of session, and you’ll be told the details before you agree to participate. Payments are usually provided digitally or by cash or check.

Participating in a focus group is a unique opportunity to influence what gets created, marketed, and improved in the world around you. Whether you’re helping fine-tune a campaign, shape the next big product, or give insight into voter perspectives, your input drives real decisions.

So speak freely. Ask questions. And know that your perspective is valued more than you think.

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What is a Focus Group?

What is a Focus Group?

Focus groups are guided conversations that give real people the chance to influence products, ads, and ideas before they go public. Learn what to expect, how it works, and why your voice matters.

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If you’ve been invited to participate in a focus group, you might be wondering: What exactly is it—and why does my opinion matter so much?

Focus groups are small, moderated discussions designed to gather honest opinions, impressions, and ideas from real people. Typically made up of 6–10 participants, these sessions are used by companies, researchers, and organizations to gain deep insights into public perception, preferences, and behavior. What makes focus groups unique is that they go beyond the numbers—they uncover the why behind people’s reactions.

Why Focus Groups Exist—and Why You’re Needed

Before launching a product, rolling out a campaign, or revamping a brand, organizations need to know what their audience truly thinks. Surveys offer data—but focus groups offer something richer: human perspective.

That’s where you come in.

As a focus group participant, your opinions help decision-makers better understand what resonates, what doesn’t, and what’s missing. Whether it’s evaluating a new commercial, discussing a political message, or testing a product idea, your feedback plays a direct role in shaping real-world outcomes.

What to Expect During a Session

Focus groups are led by a trained moderator who guides the conversation. You might be shown a product, asked to respond to messaging, or invited to share your experiences related to a specific topic.

There are no right or wrong answers. Everyone’s opinion is valid—and disagreement is welcome. The goal is open, honest discussion. As the conversation unfolds, the moderator may ask follow-up questions to better understand your reasoning and emotional reactions.

Sessions typically last between 60 to 120 minutes and are either held in person or virtually.

How Participants Are Chosen

Every focus group has specific goals, which means each one looks for a certain type of participant. That’s why you may be asked to answer a few questions before being selected.

Here’s what the process usually looks like:

  • Screening: You’ll complete a short questionnaire to determine if you’re a match.
  • Selection & Scheduling: If selected, you’ll receive details about the date, time, and format of the session.
  • Participation: You’ll take part in the discussion, either from a local facility or virtually.
  • Compensation: After completing the session, you’ll receive a thank-you payment as compensation for your time.

Where Focus Groups Fit Into the Bigger Picture

Focus groups are often one piece of a broader research effort. Alongside surveys, interviews, or product testing, they offer an essential layer of qualitative insight. They help brands and organizations understand how people think—and more importantly, why they think that way.

While data tells the what, focus groups reveal the why. And that context can make all the difference in how something is received by the public.

Participating in a focus group is more than just answering questions—it’s about influencing the things you see, use, and experience every day. Your insights help shape better products, smarter campaigns, and more thoughtful ideas.

So if you’ve been invited to share your thoughts in a focus group, know this: your perspective is not only welcomed—it’s valued.

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What is a Consumer Focus Group?

What is a Consumer Focus Group?

Consumer focus groups reveal how real people perceive your brand, product, or messaging. Learn how these structured discussions deliver key insights that drive smarter marketing, product development, and customer experience decisions.

Focus Groups, clients

2 min read

Consumer focus groups are structured discussions where a small group of people, representing a target market, discuss a product, service, or brand. These groups provide businesses with qualitative insights into consumer preferences, behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions.

They are commonly used during product development, marketing campaigns, brand positioning, or when businesses want to test a new idea, service, or product before launching it to the broader market.

Types of Consumer Focus Groups

  1. Product Testing Focus Groups: These groups focus on evaluating a specific product or service, exploring how a user interacts with the product or service. Participants test the product and provide feedback on its functionality, design, usability, and visual appeal.
  2. Advertising & Messaging Focus Groups: These groups are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing materials, including commercials, social media ads, and product packaging. Overall, participants provide feedback on how well the messaging resonates with them.
  3. Service or Experience Focus Groups: These groups focus on evaluating the consumer experience with a service, such as a retail store, website, or customer service interaction.
  4. Brand Perception Focus Groups: These groups discuss how consumers perceive a particular brand, including their attitudes and associations with the brand as a whole.

How Consumer Focus Groups Work

Participants are carefully selected to represent the brand’s target consumer audience. Selecting participants may depend on demographics, such as age, gender, income level, or purchase habits.

A skilled moderator guides the conversation, asking participants to share openly and honestly their opinions or feelings about a product or service. Insights can be captured through both qualitative feedback (opinions, feelings, attitudes) and quantitative feedback (ratings, preferences). With this feedback, companies can understand consumer needs, motivators, pain points, and therefore refine their product or service.

Benefits of Consumer Focus Groups

  1. Product Development & Refinement: Consumer focus groups are ideal for gathering detailed feedback on prototype products, new features, or improvements to existing products. This feedback helps brands make data-driven decisions in their product development cycle.
  2. Understanding Consumer Perceptions: Focus groups allow businesses to gauge how their target audience perceives their brand, products, or services. This is especially useful for identifying brand strengths and weaknesses from a consumer perspective.
  3. Testing Marketing Strategies: Marketers can use focus groups to test advertising concepts, promotional strategies, or messaging to determine how well they resonate with the target audience.

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What is a Public Policy Focus Group?

What is a Public Policy Focus Group?

Public policy focus groups provide direct feedback from communities on proposed or existing legislation, helping policymakers understand public sentiment, refine messaging, and design more effective, responsive policies.

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2 min read

Public policy focus groups discuss and provide feedback on public issues, policies, or proposed legislation. These sessions help policymakers understand public sentiment, potential challenges, and the effectiveness of proposed policies from the perspective of the target population.

Public policy groups are often used during policy development, pre-litigation research, or community outreach to gauge public opinion.

Types of Public Policy Focus Groups

  1. Pre-Legislative Focus Groups: Conducted before a policy or law is proposed to gain insights on public attitudes and potential issues that may arise.
  2. Post-Legislative Focus Groups: Used to assess how a policy or law has been received by the public once it’s been implemented and to identify areas of improvement.
  3. Targeted Focus Groups: These focus groups are aimed at specific demographic groups, communities, or stakeholders who are most affected by the policy, providing insights from those with direct experience or vested interest.

How Public Policy Focus Groups Work

Participants are drawn from the communities or demographics impacted by the policy being tested. They are chosen to provide a very diverse range of views to ensure balanced feedback on the policy.

A trained moderator guides the discussion around a set of policy-related questions, ensuring that every participant has a chance to express their opinion. The session may cover various aspects of a policy, such as public perception, expected benefits, concerns, and potential challenges.

Insights are gathered through group discussions, polls, and structured feedback, helping policymakers understand how the policy is perceived and what aspects need adjustment.

Benefits of Public Policy Focus Groups

  1. Testing Public Reactions: Focus groups provide immediate, real-time reactions from the public on specific policies or legislative proposals. This allows policymakers to anticipate how the public will respond once the policy is implemented.
  2. Understanding Community Concerns: These focus groups allow decision-makers to gauge public concerns, objections, or potential misconceptions about proposed policies, helping to address these concerns before finalizing the policy.
  3. Improving Policy Design: Specifically, these focus groups can also help refine policy language, messaging, and implementation  strategies by identifying potential areas of confusion, resistance, or misunderstanding from the public.

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What is a Legal Focus Group?

What is a Legal Focus Group?

Legal focus groups simulate jury reactions, helping attorneys test arguments, evaluate case strengths, and refine trial strategies.

Focus Groups, clients

2 min read

A legal focus group is a mock jury or group of individuals selected to simulate a trial-like environment. Participants provide feedback on legal arguments, case strategies, and the presentation of evidence, offering valuable insights into how a jury might react in real-life cases.

Legal focus groups are often utilized by law firms, litigators, and corporate legal departments. Legal focus groups are essential in testing case theories, assessing the strength of different arguments, and evaluating potential risks before going to trial.

Types of Legal Focus Groups

  1. Mock Juries: A full simulation of a trial where jurors deliberate on evidence and provide verdicts or feedback on the case’s strengths and weaknesses.
  2. Focus Groups for Specific Case Elements: Instead of simulating the entire trial, focus groups can zero in on specific issues, such as how evidence is perceived, how a particular witness is likely to be received, or how the opening statement is framed.
  3. Pre-Litigation Focus Groups: Used to evaluate public sentiment on legal cases before formal litigation begins, particularly for class action lawsuits or high-profile cases with potential media impact.

How Legal Focus Groups Work

Participants typically consist of 6-12 individuals who are representative of the jury pool. They are not usually experts, but rather a sample of potential jurors who can provide unbiased, general feedback.

The session is usually led by a skilled moderator who guides discussions on various aspects of the case, such as facts, arguments, and emotional appeals.

Lawyers present a summary of the case, including evidence, arguments, and key points. The group then discusses and provides feedback on how they perceived the case. Through open-ended questions and structured responses, the group provides insight into what is most persuasive, what may be a weakness, and how to improve the case presentation overall.

Benefits of Legal Focus Groups

  1. Pre-Trial Jury Simulation: Legal focus groups offer an opportunity to test a case strategy before the actual trial. This helps attorneys refine arguments, identify weak points, and anticipate jury reactions.
  2. Predicting Jury Behavior: By using a mock jury, legal teams gain valuable insights into potential jury biases, concerns, or misunderstandings that might arise during trial.
  3. Risk Mitigation: With feedback from mock jurors, legal teams can adjust their strategy to minimize risks before facing an actual jury, improving the chances of success in the courtroom.

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Are Focus Groups Helpful?

Are Focus Groups Helpful?

Focus groups are powerful tools for uncovering the emotions, motivations, and perceptions behind consumer behavior.

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With such a unique set of pros and cons, you may be wondering if focus groups are actually helpful when conducting research. The short answer? Yes–depending on what information you need.

Focus groups are essential in understanding emotions and motivations. It focuses on the people–something quantitative research just doesn’t do. Understanding the people in your audience is crucial to improving your product, messaging, etc. In particular, brands, marketers, and researchers benefit the most from focus groups.

 

When Focus Groups are Most Helpful

  1. Exploring emotions and motivations: Focus groups are best for understanding why consumers make certain choices or behave in certain ways.
    Example: Understanding why customers are loyal to a certain brand.
  2. Early-stage concept testing: Focus groups are useful for testing new products, services, or ideas before they go to the market.
    Example: Validating product design or packaging with a target audience before launch.
  3. Understanding consumer perceptions: When you want to know how your audience perceives your brand, messaging, or advertising campaigns.
    Example: Testing reactions to new brand messaging/a rebrand.
  4. Generating Ideas: The dynamic nature of focus groups makes them perfect for providing participants with a platform to brainstorm new creative solutions.
    Example: Developing new product features or marketing approaches.

Maximizing the Effectiveness of Focus Groups

Focus groups can give crucial insights that inform important decision-making. However, if you’re thinking of conducting a focus group, there are small steps beforehand that will ensure maximum effectiveness.

  1. Define Clear Objectives: Ensure you have specific research goals in mind before conducting focus groups. Decide what you want to get out of the focus group: discover consumer attitudes, validate ideas, or generate new concepts.
  2. Select the Right Participants: The quality of the focus group depends on how well the participants represent your target audience. Nelson Recruiting specializes in finding the right voices for your organization.
  3. Use a Skilled Moderator: Having an experienced moderator can ensure the conversation stays on track and provides you with useful information. Moderators should create an open environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their honest feedback.

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Different Types of Market Research

Different Types of Market Research

From focus groups to surveys, market research helps uncover what your audience thinks, feels, and needs.

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Understanding your audience is key to making data-driven decisions. Market research methods help you gather critical feedback, whether you are creating a new product or validating brand messaging.

Although market research is critical to making the right decisions, there are numerous types of market research, from in-depth qualitative interviews to large-scale surveys.

 

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is best for exploring motivators, behaviors, and attitudes–in short, it gives you the why behind audience behavior. This research can be explored through many different methodologies.

  1. Focus Groups: Focus Groups are a moderated group discussion where participants provide feedback and engage in discussion on products, concepts, or services. Insights from focus groups often reveal unspoken attitudes or motivators, typically exposed through group dynamics.
  2. In-Depth Interviews: One-on-one conversations that allow for deep exploration of individual perspectives, uncovering motivations, experiences, and extremely nuanced insights. These are especially valuable for understanding complex behaviors.
  3. Ethnographic Research: Ethnographic research consists of observing participants in their natural environment to gain an understanding of how they interact with products or services. Environment is essential in ethnographic research–it’s perfect for understanding real-life behaviors and identifying pain points.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is about gathering data at scale. It’s designed to answer what is happening across a larger population, with statistical analysis helping validate patterns.

  1. Surveys & Polls: Surveys and polls are structured questionnaires distributed to a large group of participants to gather measurable data on opinion or preference.
  2. Tracking Studies: Tracking studies analyze brand perception or key performance indicators over a period of time, tracking changes in behavior or market trends.

Specialized Research Methods

Market research methods are never a “one size fits all.” Market research for attorneys, artists, musicians, or designers also work to improve their crafts–it’s not just for large corporations.

  1. Mock Juries: A mock jury is a simulation of a courtroom trial where participants act as jurors, helping legal teams gauge how potential jurors might respond to certain arguments or evidence in a case.
  2. Shadow Juries: A shadow jury is similar to a mock jury but for ongoing trials. Jurors provide feedback on how they perceive the case’s strengths and weaknesses as the case unfolds.
  3. Music Tests: Perfect for artists or labels, participants listen to music and provide feedback on their reactions, helping artists understand their audience’s song preferences and music’s emotional impact.
  4. Taste Tests: Typically used by beverage and food companies, participants taste new products and provide feedback on taste, texture, and packaging.
  5. Dial Tests: A more controlled method of research, participants use a dial to convey their reaction to an ad, product, or show in real-time. This tracks which parts of the content capture the most attention from the audience.
  6. User Experience Testing: UX research observes how participants interact with a product, service, or interface. This aims to improve the accessibility of a product or interface, allowing user interaction to flow more smoothly.
  7. Website Usability Testing: A certain subset of UX research, website usability testing assesses how users navigate and interact with websites specifically. This is crucial for improving user flows and enhancing conversion rates.

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What is a Focus Group?

What is a Focus Group?

Focus groups are a powerful form of qualitative research that reveal the motivations, attitudes, and language of your target audience—insights that data alone can’t provide. Learn how they work and why they matter.

Qualitative research, clients

2 min read

A focus group is a form of qualitative research where a small, diverse group of participants is guided through a structured discussion by a trained moderator. This method helps brands, researchers, and policymakers gather essential insights into opinions, attitudes, and behaviors that cannot be captured by surveys alone.

Prior to a product launch, ad campaign, or political campaign, focus groups can be essential in understanding consumer needs and pain points, as well as voter attitudes and perceptions. Qualitative research, specifically via focus groups, answers many of the questions that metrics just can’t.

What Does a Focus Group Do?

Defined as a “structured discussion,” focus groups are not just “talking in a room.” Instead, participants respond to a specific set of prompts, products, messaging, or scenarios meticulously tailored to the information needed by the client. These can be questions aimed at discovering consumer attitudes towards certain language, consumer needs not met, voter responses to messaging, and so much more. Focus groups can be utilized by a diverse range of companies, organizations, and researchers for a multitude of reasons.

Questions asked in a focus group are typically open-ended questions designed to prompt conversation. In response to the prompts, group dynamics often reveal unspoken attitudes or priorities. Facilitators probe deeper into reasoning and emotional responses of the participants, uncovering their motivations, attitudes, unmet needs, and language preferences.

Why Are Focus Groups Used?

Focus groups are essential in understanding audience needs, motivators, and attitudes, allowing organizations to improve their product or messaging specifically and intentionally. Overall, focus groups provide insights that numerical data just can’t.

More specifically, focus groups explore customer attitudes prior to product launches or ad campaigns. Through the process, clients can understand emotional responses or unspoken motivators–information you just can’t gather on a survey. Focus groups can also validate or shape messaging based on real audience language and identify blind spots or unmet needs.

What is the Focus Group Recruitment Process?

Recruiting the right participant(s) is critical to the success of a focus group. Each focus group is different, so understanding what exact participant needed is essential to creating a successful focus group. We specialize in matching the right voices to the right projects.

Here is a typical recruitment process for focus groups:

  1. Define Criteria: You (the client) will provide a participant profile based on your research goals. This includes demographics, behaviors, opinions, etc.
  2. Build the Screener: We create customized screening questions to qualify participants.
  3. Source & Screen Participants: Using our nationwide database, we identify potential participants.
  4. Confirm & Schedule: We coordinate session times, reminders, and ensure show rates. We facilitate organizational work so you don’t have to.
  5. Handle Incentives: We also manage all payments for participants.

How Focus Groups Fit into Larger Research Plans

Focus groups are perfect for product development, brand messaging, campaign refinement, legal strategy, and public opinion. They are often paired with surveys, ethnographies, or UX testing for holistic insights. However, focus groups provide essential qualitative insights that other methods of gathering data just can’t.

If you are leading a political campaign, building out a product, or developing a rebrand, focus groups can help you understand your audience’s needs, motivations, and more on a deeper level.

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What is Qualitative Research?

What is Qualitative Research?

Discover why qualitative research is key to understanding the why behind consumer behavior—and how the right participants can make or break your insights.

Qualitative research, clients

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In today’s business landscape, numerical data alone isn’t enough. To shape stronger messaging and make smarter decisions, companies must understand the why behind consumer behavior–that’s where qualitative research comes in.

What is Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research is a type of market research that consists of gathering participants’ experiences, perceptions, and behaviors through analysis of non-numerical data, such as interviews or observations. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research focuses on the why rather than the how many.

A range of organizations conduct qualitative research. Brands, legal firms, marketers, researchers, and so many more utilize qualitative research to understand their audience or consumer. Qualitative research can highlight motivators, pain points, desires, and more, providing organizations with key insights on how to improve their product, service, argument, or messaging.

Qualitative research is about people. However, there are multiple methods of conducting qualitative and quantitative research that can vary depending on the goal of your research.

Different Types of Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative research is essential to understanding motivators, behaviors, and attitudes. This information can be gathered through many different methodologies:

Focus Groups

Focus Groups are a moderated discussion with a set number of participants. Participants respond to a certain set of prompts, products, or messaging, engaging in conversation with one another and providing feedback on the topic. Focus groups are essential in understanding audience needs, motivators, and attitudes, allowing organizations to improve their product or messaging intentionally.

Participants of focus groups are always tailored towards the target audience or population. However, the methodology of certain focus groups can vary greatly depending on their use. Legal firms, politicians, and more can also use focus groups to gain valuable insights. Here are some alternative focus groups to keep in mind:

  1. Legal Focus Groups: A legal focus group is a mock jury or group of individuals selected to simulate a trial-like environment. Participants provide feedback on legal arguments, case strategies, and the presentation of evidence, offering valuable insights into how a jury might react in real-life cases.
  2. Public Policy Focus Groups: Public policy focus groups discuss and provide feedback specifically on public issues, policies, or proposed legislation. These sessions help policymakers understand public sentiment, potential challenges, and the effectiveness of proposed policies from the perspective of the target population.
  3. Consumer Focus Groups: Consumer focus groups discuss and provide feedback on a product or service. The conversation can explore attitudes or reactions to a product, brand messaging, or service. Participants represent the target audience.

Alternative Methods

Focus groups are not the only methods of qualitative research. In-depth interviews, ethnographic research, and website usability tests are just a few alternative methods to conducting qualitative research.

In-depth interviews, or a one-on-one conversion offers deeper exploration of individual perspectives, crucial in understanding complex behaviors, while ethnographic research observes participants in a specific environment. Music and taste tests allow participants to react to a new song or new food, providing essential feedback to artists.

Qualitative versus Quantitative Research

Qualitative research is a type of market research that consists of gathering participants’ experiences, perceptions, and behaviors through analysis of non-numerical data, such as interviews or observations. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research focuses on the why rather than the how many.

A range of organizations conduct qualitative research. Brands, legal firms, marketers, researchers, and so many more utilize qualitative research to understand their audience or consumer. Qualitative research can highlight motivators, pain points, desires, and more, providing organizations with key insights on how to improve their product, service, argument, or messaging.

Qualitative research is about people. However, there are multiple methods of conducting qualitative and quantitative research that can vary depending on the goal of your research.

Why is Qualitative Research Important?

Qualitative research uncovers the thoughts, motivations, and perceptions that numerical data just can’t. Through qualitative research, one aims to understand human experiences and behaviors by analyzing language, actions, and expressions, gathering consumer insights that quantitative data just can’t capture. But here’s the part that most companies overlook: qualitative insight is only as good as the people providing it.

At Nelson Recruiting, we ensure your qualitative research via focus groups, interviews, and studies are powered by participants who aren’t just qualified—they’re thoughtful, articulate, and exactly who you need to hear from. Regardless of who you are targeting, we recruit participants with precision and purpose.

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