At the heart of your research is the data or information that you need to answer your research questions and achieve your research goals. You may require direct interaction with people, tangible experiences, or indirect information found in a museum. Each type of data collected has unique procedures in which we can provide expert advice.

Interviews and Focus Groups

What is it? The purpose of interviews and focus groups in data collection is to have a conversation with participants using open-ended questions that relate to your research questions, aim, or goals. The answers to the questions can be used as raw data in a research project, and they are one of the most popular methods of data collection in qualitative research.

Interviews include one or two participants and may have an unstructured, semi-structured or structured format. A structured interview consists of a set of prepared questions that are asked to collect specific responses. A semi-structured interview consists of a set of prepared questions with follow-up questions based on participants’ answers. An unstructured interview has very few prepared questions. It may be developed while the interview is occurring based on participant’s prior responses.

An interview may be facilitated in a variety of settings depending on access to participants, purpose, or feasibility of the research project. Possible settings for interviews include in-person, telephone, video/web conferencing, etc.

Focus groups are group interviews with more than two participants (our recommended size for a focus group is 5 to 10 persons). They are used to get an overall objective view on a topic, and when resources are limited. Due to the nature of focus groups, participants should have similar backgrounds and/or experiences to get an overall understanding of group ideas on a topic. Focus groups are preferred when information about group dynamics on a topic and collective discussion are needed to understand behaviors, feelings and/or opinions. Focus groups should be conducted in a relaxed atmosphere to help participants feel like it is an informal discussion. You also need a way to record the data, such as an audio recorder with an external microphone to capture variations among participants’ voices, or a video camera. Similar to interviews, you can have different formats for your focus groups where questions are prepared ahead of time, as well as different settings. If you are new to facilitating interviews and focus groups, it is important to develop and practice interviewing and moderating techniques before you begin this type of data collection. It is also helpful to pilot your interview or focus group guide before launching data collection. In some cases, you may be unsure about the appropriate questions and techniques for facilitating interviews and focus groups with participants of a particular background. Our consultants can help you prepare for interviews and focus groups for your project by identifying a suitable venue, culturally appropriate questions, coaching on how to pilot your interview/focus group guide, and how to moderate interviews and focus groups.

How can we help you?

• Align questions for your interviews and focus groups with your research questions, aims, and goals
• Identify the format and setting for your interview and/or focus group

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