Focus Group Planning

• State objectives
• Determine audience and scope
• Create guide with questions
• Review guide with stakeholders
• Recruit and schedule participants
• Conduct focus groups; allow for guide revision between groups
• Consolidate notes and write analysis

Note that Kuniavsky presents a similar planning schedule on p. 208.

Recruiting and Scheduling

Most issues are the same as interview, but here are some new considerations:

• Size: Kuniavsky recommends 6 - 8 but notes that others recommend up to 12.
• Group homogeneity; subgroups meet separately
• Avoid acquaintances!
• Finding convenient time and location
• Cost of no-shows?

Writing the guide

The guide is similar to that used for interviews. Note that Kuniavsky provides an extended example on pp. 216 - 223.

Items for discussion

• For Kuniavsky's schedule, recruiting begins before the guide is created? Why might he suggest this?
• Does the question guide need to be tested? How can it be tested?