A guide to online focus groups and interviews

Advantages of online focus groups / interviews

Lower cost – Less expensive compared to face-to-face equivalents (reduced incentives due to no travel time, no viewing facility / hotel room hire).

More accessible – Interviewees / focus group participants who would normally be inaccessible (i.e. don’t live locally) or hard to involve in research (people with little time for participation) can more easily be involved.

Equal participation – In focus groups, shy or quiet participants may find it easier to contribute and those overbearing less likely to dominate the conversation. As with conventional focus groups it is important that the moderator controls and manages participation.