market research

My colleague Mike Courtney of Aperio Insights, has created his own website for conducting online focus groups called ThoughtNav.  I am an advocate of online groups!!  My first experience with this mode of research was over two years ago on a project with Bartizan.  Before that, I was a facilitator of in-person focus groups.

For those of you who are not familiar to focus groups,  let me explain a few of the basics.  A client has a need for information about customers or prospects and hires a researcher.  A discussion guide is developed that allows the moderator to create a dialogue that systematically explores the topics and objectives.  Other elements are:

• The researcher recruits 12 – 15 individuals
• They are paid an incentive for their participation
• The moderators poses questions and solicits responses and ideas from the groups
• The client [who pays for the research effort] assesses the results of the group

One of the challenges of conducting traditional focus groups is that after you finish the hour plus session, you often wish you had asked an additional question(s) to the participants – but it is too late because they have already gone home.  Online focus groups are often designed to last three or more days with respondents logging in and responding to questions for five or ten minutes per day. This allows every one to reflect on the answers and conversations and gives the client time  tweak or add questions as the study evolves.

ThoughtNav Website

Below is some information from the website:

Because the business climate has changed.

There is an urgent need to keep up with the shifts in customer thinking while saving time and money.

More companies than ever are turning to online focus groups to stay up-to-date with their customer’s mindset. ThoughtNav provides a comprehensive tool for creating and managing the entire process.

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