Live Text-Based Focus Groups
A remote research method inspired by the pandemic is an efficient, inclusive, transcription-free way to gain insights.
by Julia Moore, Lindsay Nevard, and Anita Tseng
Focus groups are a tried-and-true qualitative research method to generate a lot of ideas quickly by allowing participants to bounce ideas off each other. But they’re difficult to moderate via videoconference, and in-person research has been impossible in many parts of the world for the past year due to COVID-19.
Because of these limitations, we began using a new method that has let us obtain rich, written focus group data remotely. It’s worked so well that we intend to use it even after in-person research is safe again. Here’s how and why to run them.
How live text-based focus groups work
Using a chat- or forum-based platform in real time, the moderator generates data by posting written questions one by one to a group. Participants type written responses directly to the moderator and to one another.
Many platforms that support threaded discussions can be used for live text-based focus groups, including forums, bulletin boards, and chats. Select one that your participants are likely to be familiar with; we’ve used Facebook Groups for that reason.
Live text-based focus groups:
- Use written instead of oral communication, so they eliminate many of the issues of a large video call.
- Are synchronous, which means they happen during a predefined time period, so participants feed off each other’s responses and respond to the moderator’s follow-up questions.
What they can and can’t do
Like traditional focus groups, this method is best for facilitating multiple viewpoints and enabling participants to bounce ideas off of one another. Live text-based focus groups can provide a lot of breadth very quickly, while going deep on one or two topics if needed. They don’t work well for concept feedback or usability testing because they don’t allow for depth across a wide range of topics or features, they don’t facilitate effective interaction with prototypes, and they carry a risk of groupthink. But if more depth is needed, one-on-one follow-up interviews can be used with individual focus group participants.
Reasons to love live text-based focus groups
- Multiple conversations can happen at once, providing richer data than a traditional focus group.
- The moderator(s) can follow up in real time to shape the conversation and gain more depth.
- The format makes it easier for quiet voices to be heard, because participants type at their own pace rather than waiting to speak, and everyone has a chance to answer each question.
- Unlike video calls, they don’t require participants to have high internet bandwidth. Anyone with access to a computer and the internet, and the ability to type, can participate.
- The text format means easy consumption, no transcription required.
Planning your live text-based focus group
Like traditional focus groups, live text-based ones require thoughtful planning. Here are the key steps.
Select participants: Ensure that all participants have access to a computer; on a phone, keeping up with the pace might be impossible. Also choose participants who speak the same language as one another and the moderator. We’ve found 6–8 participants to be a good number for the topics we’ve investigated, but this might differ by project scope.
Choose and prepare the platform: When recruiting, screen to make sure participants are comfortable sharing with others on the chosen platform, especially if their real name and photo will be shared with other participants.
Prepare to moderate: Create the script and questions in advance so they can easily be copied and pasted into the group in real time. It’s great to foster multiple conversations at once, but this can be difficult to moderate, so consider enrolling one or even two additional moderators to help keep simultaneous conversations alive.
Moderating your group
Set norms: It’s useful to create and pin a “norms post” with some introductory information and expectations for participation. This might include a description of how the session will work (e.g., the moderator will create posts in real time, and participants will respond via comments), active and engaged participation (e.g., no multitasking), and how to respond/react to others (e.g., encouraging using reactions in Facebook Groups to agree/disagree).
Break the ice: Starting with an icebreaker can help build rapport within the group. Along with intros, consider asking participants to post a gif in response to a silly and/or relevant introductory question or prompt.
Keep up the pace: It can be harder to keep people’s attention from wandering than in traditional research methods. Keeping up the pace can help with this. Let everyone know when you’re moving on to the next question (we make each question a post and let people know we’re moving to the next question in the comments below that post). It’s also good practice to keep track of who has responded to each question, and to tag and/or request specific commentary from participants who are being less active. If you call folks out for not responding on the first questions, they’ll understand that their active participation is required.
After your live text-based focus group
Preserving and transcribing data: Remove participants from the focus group so they can’t change their comments after the session is over, and consider providing a warning so participants know when they will be removed. No need to worry about transcribing the session, since it’s already in text form.
Involving partners: If you want to involve key cross-functional partners, add them to the group after the session. If you plan to do this, it’s important to inform participants in advance that other team members will view the group after the session ends.
Information Management: When you’re done analyzing the results, delete the focus group.
Live text-based focus groups provide a timely update to a classic method. Flexible and customizable for many research topics, they’re a versatile choice for researchers from a variety of disciplines and roles (UX, marketing, academic, etc.) who need to get insights quickly and effectively even when in-person groups aren’t possible. Give them a try and you might find yourself using them long after the safety-related reasons for doing so have passed.
Authors: Julia Moore, UX Researcher at Facebook; Lindsay Nevard, UX Research Manager at Facebook (right); Anita Tseng, UX Researcher at Facebook (left)
Contributors: China Layne, UX Researcher at Facebook
Illustrator: Drew Bardana
