Remote Possibilities Open Up for Focus Groups

Live video transmission of focus groups is taking off, with one third of end clients in a survey by FocusVision Worldwide saying they use it on a majority of their qual projects. Well over 400 focus facilities are installed with the technology worldwide.

The facilities group received responses from a quota sample of 655 respondents in February this year. Of the 655, all of whom utilize or conduct qualitative research, 421 were end client researchers who use video transmission and 117 non users of the technology. 152 were providers of research services who moderate and conduct qualitative research.

Live video transmission of focus groups enables researchers to have their projects transmitted live via videoconferencing or video streaming over the Internet to distant viewers – as a result, not everyone has to travel to every focus group every time to participate, although as yet, moderators are very unlikely to see it as an alternative to attending themselves.

The survey, which was designed, fielded, and reported by online research company InsightExpress, looked at usage and perceptions of these services for focus groups and other qual MR.

FocusVision says that since video transmission was introduced 16 years ago, the world has a more conservative business climate with reduced staffing and more cost control, while the technology has improved dramatically and has seen a migration from videoconferencing to video streaming over the Internet.

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All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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