HUD's Web Management Operating Procedures

Appendix G: How To Conduct A Focus Group

Why

Focus groups do two things: they help us tell our target audiences about our websites, and they help us get feedback from our target audiences about what works - and what doesn't work - on our websites.

When and Where

It's best if focus groups are planned in advance. But focus groups also can happen on the spur of the moment, given the right circumstances. If you find yourself in the middle of a group of people who have a little time on their hands, don't hesitate to pull out your laptop or show them a few printouts of HUD web pages and see what they have to say.

If you're scheduling a focus group, be thoughtful about time and place. What time of day would the target audience be available and most receptive to the effort? For example, you might do best with a focus group for citizens in the late afternoon - after work - or in the early evening or on weekends. HUD employees are most likely to welcome a focus group during the day - during work hours or at lunchtime. You might be able to schedule a focus group for partner organizations in conjunction with other planned efforts, such as meetings or conferences.

Find a comfortable place to hold the group - a place that is conducive to informal exchanges among a small group of people. If possible, avoid a classroom setting. Sitting in a circle is far more effective.

Find Your Participants

Again, you can do a terrific focus group spontaneously, by just asking people around you to give you their opinions. People love to be asked for their opinions! But if you'd like to plan ahead, there are a number of ways to find participants.

Citizens - if you want to do a focus group for citizens, try to meet them where they are.

• Libraries are a great place to do focus groups because most libraries have computers with Internet access. Ask the librarian if you could schedule a focus group some early evening, put up signs, and see what you get.
• Or maybe you can identify some citizen group that meets regularly - a resident advisory board of a PHA, a community group that meets in a local community center - and see if they'd like to have you come in to do a demo of HUD's website. Then, while you're at it, you ask some questions.
• Street fairs, home and garden shows, and community events are great places to set up shop. You don't even have to use a computer - just print out a few pages of the website to show them. And don't forget to take along a stack of website brochures, so they can take something with them.

Partners - If you want to target a partner audience, you can try a couple of approaches.

• Partners actually will respond to invitations - so ask your program staff to give you a list of partners, call or email them inviting them to your focus group, and you'll probably have a pretty good turnout.
• Or another alternative is to go to them. Find out when and where there are meetings that draw partner organizations - conferences, etc. - and ask to have a table and/or some time to show HUD's website.

Employees

• The easiest thing to do is put up a sign inviting employees to a focus group during lunch - you're bound to have some volunteers.
• But the best course of action is to get your organization head to agree to let you invite a few employees to join you, during work hours, for a focus group.

Conduct the Session

• Again, focus groups work best if they're informal. Put everyone at ease. Begin by introducing yourself and telling them why you're here - to find out what they think about HUD's website. Explain that their input help us make the website better. Assure them that we want them to be open and honest. If they don't like something or think we could do something better, tell us. Of course, we'd also like to hear what they DO like; so we'll know what to leave alone. Depending on the circumstances, you may want to ask the participants to introduce themselves.
• Start by giving a brief overview of the site or section of the site that you want them to review. Briefly explain how it's organized, show where some of the links go, and give them enough flavor and background for the site/pages that they can understand.
• Then, begin to ask questions. What questions you ask depends on the setting, the audience, and your objective. But you should think about your questions before you begin the focus group - plan ahead. For example:
  1. What is the first thing you notice about this web page?
  2. What captured your eye on this page?
  3. What is the first thing you'd click on this page?
  4. Knowing what you know about this website, do you think this page does what we want it to do? If not, why not? If so, what makes it succeed?
  5. What about this site would make you come back?
  6. What about this site turns you off?
  7. What did you think you might find on this site that you didn't?
  8. What did you find that surprised you?
  9. If you were in charge of promoting this site, what would you brag about?
  10. If you were going to change something about this site, what would it be?
• As a rule, keep your questions open-ended to promote discussion. Questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no" typically do not inspire discussion.
• Plan to ask about 5 questions, and have those 5 questions in mind before you begin.
• Manage the group - but don't inhibit it. Make sure you get answers to your 5 questions, if they were important to you. But follow the direction of the group. They may take you off into tangents you hadn't planned - and you might learn something unexpected.
• Make sure you understand what is said to you. If someone says something ambiguous or unclear, try to restate it. "Let me be sure I understand what you're saying. You're saying X, Y, Z - is that correct?"
• Allow participants to talk with one another. Sometimes the best feedback you'll get will come from eavesdropping on their conversations, even if they go off in tangents, rather than relying solely on direct responses to your questions.
• Don't let the group turn negative. "I don't like this" and "I don't like that" can cut off discussion or lead to non-productive debate. If you find the group becoming negative, change the subject. Or force them to focus on what's positive: "OK - now tell me something you like about this page...what should we keep?"
• Be sensitive to the timing of the group. Normally, you'll know when they're winding down. Pace yourself so you're sure to cover what you want to cover before they get tired. When they do get tired, thank them, end the group, and invite them to send any additional thoughts or ideas to you via email (give them your card) or on the phone.
• Be sure to take notes. Don't count on your memory to document what group members tell you. If you find it hard to both lead the group and take notes, take someone with you to do the note-taking.
• Be sure to thank them! They have just given you the gift of their time and energy, so be sure to extend your appreciation.

After the Focus Group