Admittedly, for years I have badmouthed the “focus group” as an archaic and inefficient tool for understanding human behavior. The focus group, as a fellow workshop member pointed out, is tainted with images of client versus customer – the “owners” of a product or service judging the “user” from the safety of behind-the-glass. I’ve been there, and it isn’t pretty. Even more, it allows a safe distance for the client to criticize and dismiss the experiences of the observed customer as a one-off or rogue. “That woman is just wrong! She doesn’t know anything about our product!” More than that, too often these group settings aren’t interactive – answers are solicited person by person rather than letting the conversation grow between participants. The opportunity for debate and thus problem solving is stifled.

While I do think certain types of information are not best served in a group setting (i.e. “How do you feel as an employee at your company?”), other questions (i.e. “Could you map out the process that you go through to plan a trip?”) can be magical. When individual experiences are shared, empathy forms between participants and a very bright light is shed on similarities and differences, giving us context and stories. We, as moderators, might see these differences from our position in the front of the room, but we cannot know the rich emotional content participants might provide if given the freedom to really interact.

Instead of “focus” we should shift our aim to “gather.” It seems simple and obvious, but it’s not always practiced. Allow the natural course of conversation to occur, allow participants to run the show, and we will find richer information, both broad and deep. Eliminate the glass wall and judgment and take things for what they actually are – human experiences that shape more than just the project at hand.