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Internet surveys Strategic planning

Focus groups are most often associated with market research, but opinion groups are common in virtually all organizational settings. Focus groups present a challenge: how does the researcher aggregate, filter, organize, and present opinions in ways that are objective, concise, and meaningful? Using manual processes, the focus group facilitator is usually faced with large amounts of narrative data, which is subjective in nature and hard to manage. How does the Concept System add value to the focus group approach?

The Challenge:
The client, a telecom instrument developer, wanted to conduct focus groups on the desired and preferred elements of an integrated communications device and delivery system. Time and distance were significant factors, so the client requested that CSI assist with a CSGlobal brainstorming/assisted focus group process. The client wanted to get market research reactions their new communications service which has subsequently been released.

The Solution:
With CSI's assistance, the client developed an index of all the features and elements of their product. They created concept maps of the elements, which clustered the features into groups for discussion. CSI then posted the results of this process on the Internet using CSGlobal, which allowed focus groups to rate their interest in, and the potential value of, each of the product's features.

The Results:
The resulting ratings on the product features enabled the client to produce pattern matches, which compared focus subgroups to each other, and to the entire respondent group, to determine preference patterns for certain characteristics of the product. The client was able to ascertain preferences and attach internal priorities to the development of those preferences, creating a product development roadmap.