Appendix C: Observer Instructions

Focus Groups

1. Listen. As tempting as it is to immediately discuss what you're observing, make sure to listen to what people are really saying. Feel free to discuss what you're seeing, but don't forget to listen.

2. Don't jump to conclusions. Use people's statements as guides to how they think about the topic and what their values are, but don't treat the specifics of their statements as gospel. If everyone in a group says they like or hate something, that doesn't mean that the whole world thinks that way, but it is a good indicator that there are enough people who do that you should pay attention.

3. Focus groups are not statistically representative. If four out of five people say something, that doesn't mean that 80% of the population feels that way. It means that a number of people may feel that way, but it doesn't mean anything in terms of the proportions found in the population as a whole. Nothing. Zilch.

4. Focus group participants are experts. The participants in a focus group know what they want to do and how they currently do it. Listen to their needs and their experience and treat them as consultants who are telling you what your customers need, not as the consumers of a product or the targets of a sales pitch.

5. Focus groups are not a magic bullet. A couple of good ideas from every group is enough to make that group worthwhile, but not every statement that the group participants make should be followed to the letter.

6. Feel free to pass questions to the moderator, but don't overdo it. Occasional questions to the group are OK, but there should not be more than a couple in a session. Write your question clearly and concisely, and phrase it as if you were talking to the moderator. Then give it to the assistant moderator, who will then take it to the moderator. When appropriate for the flow of conversation, the moderator will introduce the question. However, the moderator may decide never to introduce it if the timing or topic is inappropriate.

7. People are contradictory. Listen to how people are thinking about the topics and what criteria they use to come to conclusions, not necessarily the specific desires they voice. A person may not realize that two desires are impossible to have simultaneously, or he or she may not care. Two people may think they're agreeing, when they're actually saying the exact opposite.

8. Don't write people off. Sometimes, a participant may say things that indicate that he or she isn't getting it. Never assume that someone has nothing important to say just because he or she isn't interesting or insightful from the start. Understanding why one participant "doesn't get it" can hold the key to understanding the perspectives of everyone who "does."

9. Save some pizza for the moderator.