Focus Group Strategies

Setting up the focus group

Kuniavsky provides many suggestions. Here are a few.

• Meet individual participants in advance.
• Seat talkative participants next to moderator.
• Provide non-disruptive snacks and drinks.

Moderator strategies

Kuniavsky provides many suggestions for the moderator (pp. 227 - 233). Here are just a few:

• Use eye contact to manage contributions.
• Keep a non-judgmental demeanor.
• Follow the script for key questions.
• Clarify ideas and allow for correction.
• Be familiar with the domain.
• Allow people to think (or even write down answers).

Items for discussion

• When might a participant need to be dismissed?
• Do moderator strategies equally apply to interviews and usability tests?