Patent ID: 7181696

Claim:
A system for performing focus group studies, comprising: a plurality of respondent computers operatively coupled to the network, each of the respondent computers having a respondent software device programmed to download and display web pages from a Web site that is the subject of a focus group study as a respondent user of the respondent computer navigates within the Web site, the respondent browser device having a graphichal user interface having at least two rating buttons displayed on the respondent graphical user interface simultaneously with Web page from the Web site, the rating buttons including a favorable rating button and a disfavorable rating button configured for use in expressing a respondent user's reaction to a simultaneously displayed Web page from the Web site that is the subject of the focus group study; and at least one moderator computer operatively coupled to each of said respondent computers having a moderator software device and a database, said moderator software device being programmed to communicate with each of the respondent browser devices operating on the respondent computers, collect rating signals from the respondent computers corresponding to activation of rating buttons on the graphical user interfaces of the respondent browser devices, collect a navigation history for each respondent computer during the focus group study, the navigation history including address data corresponding to Web pages being displayed during activation of the rating buttons, and store the navigation history and data associated with the rating signals collected in the database such that each collected rating signal is associated with a Web page from the Web site, wherein the stored navigation history and data associated with the rating signals are for evaluating the design of the Web pages from the Web site that is the subject of the focus group study.