[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Blog Post Date” _builder_version=”3.19.12″ header_4_font=”Lato|300|on||||||” header_4_font_size=”20px” max_width=”800px” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”||56px|” header_4_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_4_font_size_tablet=”18px” header_4_font_size_phone=”16px” text_font=”Montserrat||||||||”]<\/p>\n
October 3rd, 2018<\/h4>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Main Blog Post Content” module_class=”blog-post-main-content” _builder_version=”3.19.12″ text_font=”Muli|300|||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”30px” header_2_font=”Lato|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”27px” max_width=”800px” module_alignment=”center” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_2_font_size_tablet=”24px” header_2_font_size_phone=”20px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_font_size_tablet=”20px” text_line_height_tablet=”26px” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_line_height_phone=”20px”]<\/p>\n
Many customer research methods have a dogged obsession with objectivity. They go out of their way to control a variety of factors that might skew results and try to craft an abstract version of the \u201cideal customer.\u201d Much like economists who create complex models that rely upon \u201crational\u201d actors to always make the optimal economic decisions, customer research focuses on stripping away as much outside influence as possible to find out what customers \u201creally\u201d think.<\/p>\n
Except that\u2019s not how people actually think.<\/p>\n
Human beings are social creatures. While there is a great deal of research on the dynamics of group psychology, most people intuitively understand that their behavior is influenced by their social environment. We\u2019re comfortable within family and peer groups that make us feel secure and accepted. When we step outside of that comfort zone, our behavior changes, sometimes dramatically.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s even before we know someone is watching us\u2026<\/p>\n
The Problem With Focus Groups<\/h2>\n
Traditional focus groups<\/a> are put together under the misguided assumption that removing the participants from their familiar environment will produce more genuine responses. In reality, focus groups are like any other group, subject to their own unique social dynamics and pressures. When you gather data from a focus group, you\u2019re not getting information about what a person actually thinks about something; you\u2019re getting what they think in the context of the focus group. Even worse, their responses are often being influenced by how they believe their answers will be perceived by the group\u2019s organizers.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re trying to pull useful insights about your customers from this situation, you\u2019re bound to be disappointed. By placing the participants in an unusual context, you\u2019ve created a situation in which they\u2019re more likely to overthink their answers, ask questions of themselves they would otherwise never consider, and allow the strangers around them to influence opinions.<\/p>\n
![\"Design](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/3988477\/4537ae72-b624-4b27-a7ee-b80dfd96adbc.png\")
<\/a><\/span>