Focus Group

A Focus Group is a qualitative research method where a small group of users or potential users discuss their thoughts, opinions, and experiences regarding a product, service, or idea. Moderators guide the discussion, and insights gathered help shape design decisions, validate assumptions, and understand user perceptions.

Focus groups are useful for exploring attitudes, terminology, and reactions to concepts — but they're not reliable for predicting behavior. Group dynamics cause participants to conform to social norms rather than share honest opinions, and what people say they'll do is often different from what they actually do. For most SaaS product decisions, one-on-one user interviews or actual usage data are more reliable. Use focus groups for brand and messaging research, not product decisions.

New Coke famously tested extremely well in focus groups before its disastrous 1985 launch — participants said they preferred the taste, but in real usage they rejected it because the decision to replace the original was about more than taste. Focus groups can't capture the emotional and habitual dimensions of real product use.