Qualitative techniques
- In depth interviews (IDI)
- Focus groups
- Mini groups
- Evolutive mini groups
- Projective techniques
Focus groups
What it is.
Focus Group is a 120 to 180' interview, conducted by a trained moderator among a group of 6 to 12 respondents. Focus groups among healthcare professionals rarely exceed 9 recruited individual (Indeed professionals individually bring more information.)
2 to 4 focus groups are often needed to achieve research objectives.
Focus groups can also be mixed with IDIs to get the best of the 2 data collection approach.
What it is used for.
Group discussion produces data and insights that would be less accessible without interaction found in a group setting—listening to others’ verbalized experiences stimulates memories, ideas, and experiences in participants. This is also known as the "group effect" where group members engage in a kind of "chaining" or "cascading". Focus group is a time saving data collection providing qualitative information among 6 to 12 individuals in less than 3 hours. Focus groups are however more expensive than individual interviews in term of respondents' incentives.
Mini groups
What it is.
Same as focus group but gathering 3 to 4 respondents.
What it is used for.
Mini group is less creative but more manageable than a focus group. Mini-groups are particularly adapted to "work cessions" where respondents are asked to build up a demonstration or a communication. Among rare and expensive medical specialties, mini-group can also represent a good alternative to a more costly focus group.
Evolutive mini groups
What it is.
A series of 2 to 4 mini-groups organized as work cessions where the insight and conclusions of the previous group are discussed in the next group.
What it is used for.
Each work cession iteratively improves and fine-tunes the output of the previous mini group. Evolutive mini-groups are used in messaging study in order the build up a convincing and adapted sales representative script.