Focus groups gather a broad range of responses, so they work well when you are trying to brainstorm or explore the range of reactions to something. If you want to compose a fixed-response survey on a new topic and are unsure what responses to list, comments from focus groups can suggest responses. You need to recruit participants with characteristics or experiences that enable them to speak on the relevant topic. Sometimes focus group organizers screen potential participants by asking a question on the topic to be sure the person has opinions about the issues and will express them. Very often, one holds a series of focus groups to allow for grouping of participants by demographic characteristics.
Research indicates that people disclose more readily to persons similar to themselves.
The actual focus group session lasts 1 to 2 hours. Including preparation and analysis, the entire process of conducting focus groups requires an average of 3 months. Line up recorders a human recorder and recording equipment. Allow another 3 weeks for recruitment of participants. After the focus group session, the moderator will need 2-3 weeks to summarize and analyze transcripts and notes.