[Sigia-l] Alternative Focus Group Methods

[Michael Hughes]

I found one statement from the referenced listening lab article
puzzling: 
"Because that's what a task list is, after all - the test moderator
presuming to guess how customers use the service, without even talking
to them first. It's the moderator setting a rigid framework, saying, "I
know how and why customers are here."

It assumes that products are conceived and designed without user input.
In scenario-based design the test tasks are derived from the design
scenarios or use cases that structured the product. Why not use them to
validate the design's effectiveness? Nothing against the "listening lab"
concept, just rebutting the broad sweep the article takes at having
preselected tasks.

Michael Hughes, PhD, CPT
404.376.9620
mikehughes at mindspring.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~mikehughes/
 


-----Original Message-----
From: sigia-l-bounces at asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-bounces at asis.org] On
Behalf Of Livia Labate
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 7:04 PM
To: SIGIA
Subject: Re: [Sigia-l] Alternative Focus Group Methods


> Personally, I find that focus groups are often used inappropriately. 
> It's the one major consumer research technique taught to Marketing 
> students, and thus it's the hammer to anything resembling a nail.

Ditto.

I don't know what is the purpose of your focus groups, but here is some 
great alternative thinking: Listening Labs. 
http://www.goodexperience.com/blog/archives/2003_10.php#000021

-LL 

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