Focus Groups

Focus groups are a powerful qualitative research tool. Peak Insights’ five professionally trained moderators are experienced in designing and guiding insightful discussion and conversation among small groups of participants. Specific participant criteria can be as broad or narrow as it needs to be – we will identify and recruit whomever you want to hear from. Peak Insights offers both traditional, in-person focus groups as well as online groups.

Focus groups can be conducted following a quantitative research study, such as a phone or online study, with the goal of taking a deeper dive into key findings from previous research or focus groups can be a starting point for a research program that is particularly complex. Focus groups are also particularly useful in evaluating advertising material, message refinement and probing barriers and motivators to behavior change. Regardless of the method, Peak Insights is a leader in focus group design, moderating and analysis.

In-Person Focus Groups

In-person focus groups bring a small group of people (8-10 individuals) to one location, in a 1-1.5-hour session to answer questions and engage in interactive discussion led by a trained moderator. The discussion/round-table nature of this research format allows for in-depth exploration and discovery of participants’ thoughts, beliefs, opinions and behaviors, in a setting where the moderator can pose questions and solicit feedback in a fluid, organic format. In observing participants’ facial expressions, body language and verbal responses, we can learn a great deal about an issue in a way that is simply not possible in quantitative research methods.

In-person focus groups are typically conducted in formal focus group facilities (where available). Live streaming is available through most facilities for clients/observers who prefer not to/are unable to travel to view the groups on location. Moment-to-moment participant feedback is also available to gauge real time reactions to digital ads or videos using Instant Focus’s web interface and individual tablets for participants to input their responses.

Online Focus Groups

Online focus groups are similar to in-person focus groups in that a moderator presents recruited participants with topics/questions and/or materials and solicits feedback and dialogue in a 1-1.5-hour session – but they are conducted in a virtual, Zoom-type setting. Beginning a few years ago, the COVID climate offered a compelling reason for many of our clients to migrate from in-person to online groups, but even as COVID restrictions lifted, this format has become a more common way to bring people together, both from different parts of the country and from smaller geographic areas, like a certain city or state. The recruitment and preliminary stages for online groups mimic those of in-person groups.

Our online focus groups are conducted by a trained Peak Insights moderator using a software platform that works with modern browsers and does not require participants to download any additional software or dial into a conference line. Creative content is also compatible with this format, including both video and still shots, with heat mapping and markup features available. As with in-person groups, clients have the option to view the discussion in real-time and sessions are recorded, as well.