Services · Focus Groups
Focus Groups
Six to ten screened participants, one senior moderator, and a discussion guide built around the decision you actually need to make. Watch live, ask questions through the backroom, and leave with the reasoning behind the reaction — not just the reaction.
- Group size
- 6–10 participants (4–5 for mini-groups)
- Session length
- 90 minutes in person · 75 minutes online
- Typical study
- 4–6 groups across 2–4 US markets
- Lead time
- 2–3 weeks from approved design
- Observation
- Live client backroom on every session
- Deliverables
- Recordings, transcripts, highlight reel, report
Fit
When focus groups are the right call
- You need the reasoning behind a reaction, not just the score
- You are testing early creative, naming, packaging or positioning
- You want your stakeholders to hear customers in their own words
- You need to find the language your market actually uses
And when they are not
Focus groups do not size a market. If you need to know how many people hold a view, or by how much one concept beats another, a survey is the right instrument — and we will say so.
Not sure which method fits?
Send us the decision you are facing. We will recommend a design — including the cheaper option, when there is one.
How it runs
Running focus groups with Research Stake
Discussion guide
We draft the guide from your objectives, share it for comment, and dry-run it before the first session. Guides are structured to move from open exploration to specific stimulus, so early answers are not contaminated by what you show later.
Recruitment & confirmation
Screened to your quota grid, re-confirmed 24 hours ahead, and over-recruited by 20% as standard so a no-show never costs you a seat.
Moderation
A senior moderator runs the session with your team watching from a private backroom. You can send questions in real time; participants never see the observers.
Analysis & debrief
Verbal debrief within 24 hours of the last group, thematic analysis coded independently by two researchers, then a full report with verbatim evidence for every theme.
Formats we offer
- In-person groups in Dallas and 40+ partner facilities across the United States
- Online groups over secure video with live client backroom
- Mini-groups, triads and dyads for sensitive or specialist categories
- Spanish-language moderation and multi-city fielding within the US
What you receive
- Full session recordings and time-coded transcripts
- Moderator debrief within 24 hours of the final group
- Thematic analysis with verbatim evidence
- Topline deck and recommended next steps
Start a study
Tell us the decision you are trying to make.
Send us the question in front of your team. We will come back within two business days with a recommended method, a realistic timeline and a written cost estimate — no obligation, no sales cycle.