HOW TO DO FACE-TO-FACE PRODUCT FOCUS GROUP

When one is enthusiastic about certain things, different thoughts begin to fill the mind. One of the things I had issues with was how to know what to do when I entered the product space, the enthusiasm was all over me that I wanted to hack this product thing if possible within one month(lol). So I got to meet some set of friends where I volunteered to work and learn as we build a product together, this is where I got to really understand what product management entails.

I joined the product management track of the Ingenii fellows in April, and we started working on our capstone project after months of learning, I will be taking you on a thread about things I have been opportune to learn while working on the product my team is building.

There is something interesting about product management, as a product manager, you need to understand the different stages involved in it. One of the things to do while trying to build a product is to get the user’s opinion. Will the market/target audience love what we are bringing to them? Then, the need to take surveys arises; one of the ways we can use to discover what our user’s mindset is about the product is by conducting research via product focus group discussion.

A Focus group is a qualitative research method in which a selected group of individuals(by sampling them) discuss the product to work on and is facilitated by the product manager with a moderator. Focus groups will help us learn about their needs and perspective as a customer. As product managers, we can use focus groups to validate a wide range of issues such as product solutions.

To conduct a productive and valuable focus group session one needs to “prepare”. Gathering a group of people without a plan will result in wasting time. The question “How then should one do face-to-face product focus group arises” the following are things I put in place while conducting a focus group for the product my team is building:

• Set goal: One needs to “set goals”, it is imperative that a product manager understands his/her goals and establish objectives in advance to help provide a clear framework for the team and help direct the discussion so that goals are met. Consider for example as a Product manager you want to test an idea for a new product with a focus group in order to clearly identify who the target market that identifies with the product is (that is a goal).
• Recruit the right set of people: Another thing to consider while doing a focus group is that one needs to put the right participants together depending on the goal for the session. Consider for example if you want to seek an answer to a question about a strategic direction it will make sense to include representatives from our buyer persona.
• Presence of a moderator: A moderator is needed to run the focus group to ensure the participants have a chance to speak. A moderator should not be biased toward an outcome and must be skilled in conflict resolution to help focus groups go on smoothly as individual differences may set in. Depending on the case, A moderator can be a fellow PM in your team.
• Create a conducive environment: The environment in which the focus group is conducted matters, participants must be relaxed so that they say things as it is. The following guidelines should be noted:

~ A simplified schedule: This will help one use participants’ time wisely.

~Feedback collection: Ask focus group participants to consider the issue for several minutes then write their responses.

~Ideas should flow: Allow the conversation to flow naturally as long as it doesn’t go out of the topic being discussed

~Documentation: As a product manager, note that you will make a report at the end of the session. So, it is advisable to record the groups' responses for future reference.

Kuye Temitope Victoria (PM, Ingenii fellows)