A focus group involves getting feedback from a specially selected group of individuals using controlled interview techniques. The process usually allows the participants to provide their opinions, come up with new ideas and brainstorm.
Focus groups are valuable for generating new concepts, getting feedback on proposed advertising or gaining insight into attitudes and opinions about a new product or service. Focus groups can be used to identify parameters for a formal survey. Focus groups require a skilled interviewer and selected participants based on given parameters (e.g. parents with infants <1 year of age). Professional firms can be hired to tackle the project for you. Disadvantage: Outspoken individuals can blur the opinions of others in the group. Reserved individuals may not share their opinions or ideas even if they strongly disagree with other people in the group.