Personification can help establish the child s perception of a product or manufacturer by relating it to a person, place or thing. An excellent technique for brand and user imagery research is picture sorts, which reveal consumers behavioral and lifestyle perceptions of a brand and can liberate children s true feelings. Some kids may not appear to have a lot to say, but utilizing different techniques may elicit feelings and responses that otherwise might stay hidden. When both client and moderator are open to new techniques your groups can be extremely rewarding and full of rich information. When recruiting kids, tight age segmentation is crucial.
Boys typically develop more slowly than girls and are much more physically active.
Separating genders will minimize group management and maximize productive research time. The general rule of thumb in terms of group size and length is that the younger the children, the smaller the group. Conducting focus groups with children under 6 years of age is not generally recommended and may not prove to be money well spent. The younger children are, the less capable they are of providing any richness or depth in their responses or opinions. Understand your respondents Clients or moderators with limited qualitative or child research experience should keep in mind that child respondents are not perfect.