Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.
By Alyssa Royse
On the (relatively long) list of things that I do not liketo spend my time doing, sitting in a room full of people who think theiropinions matter more than anyone else’s is very high on the list. Then there’shaving people tell me that I’m wrong, about anything. Oh, and then there’sbeing forced to think about one thing for an extended period of time. Needlessto say, focus groups are not my natural environment.
Yet, like many, when I’m nurturing a new idea, I can’t shakethe feeling that I ought to touch base with the people who I’m hoping to serve.There’s little point in making dog food only to find out that the dogs aren’thungry.
But, if you bring up the idea of “focus groups,” you’ll getwidely varied opinions about whether or not they are useful. As much as I don’tlike them, I can’t imagine not doing them early in the R & D process of anynew company. Yes, they have serious problems, but those problems are alwayswith the questions, not the answers. Simply put, if you don’t get what you needout of your focus group, it’s your fault, not the group’s fault.
I just held an amazing focus group for a new idea, and ammore convinced than ever that this is spot on. But here’s the deal, I didn’ttalk about my project much at all. Just like any relationship, you will notlearn how to meet the needs of the other person if you only talk about yourself– you need to shut up and listen. And most people who have a problem, have thatproblem because they have not thought of the solution, so asking them aboutsolutions is stupid. Ask them about their problem.
Here are some ideas on how to make a focus group useful:
1. Sangria and Porn. (It worked for us.)
This is about competition, but people often think ofcompetition too narrowly. Competition is not JUST other companies with othersolutions to the same problem. It is the time, money, energy and ingenuity thatpeople are using in an informal fashion to solve the problem. Your solution hasto be better than the organized competition AND better than the jerry-riggedsolutions that others have come up with.
Armed with that information, your job is to solve theirproblem in a way that is accessible and affordable. But do NOT expect them todesign the solution for you. That’s your job, not theirs. Remember, if theycould solve the problem themselves, they already would have.
