This being our first on-line research issue, I thought it might be fun to write about what it’s like to participate in an on-line focus group. So I E-mailed Amy Yoffie - whose company, Research Connections in Westfield, N.J., has been doing on-line research for years - to see if I could sit in on one of her firm’s groups. As it turns out, several clients had expressed the same interest, so Research Connections decided to hold a mock group for us.

Or, as Yoffie said in her reply: "A number of our colleagues have been intrigued by this new research methodology and requested to observe a group in action. Knowing that most groups we conduct are proprietary, we thought we’d turn the tables and invite YOU to be a participant in an on-line focus goup with other market research professionals."

After settling on a convenient date and time, Yoffie Emailed each of us a note of confirmation. About three weeks before the goup, I got a nice welcome letter (via snail mail) and a diskette with some software that I would need for the session. As instructed I visited the Research Connections Virtual Focus Facility 24 hours prior to the goup to make sure the software worked.

Bound for cyberspace

At last, the day arrived. The group was set to start at 6:00 p.m., so I logged into the Virtual Focus Facility at about 5:55. I was excited to find fellow respondents already in the discussion room, testing their legs, as it were, in cyberspace. Each of us had been assigned a password and screen name (mine was Ryder). Yoffie was there as moderator, along with an administrator to handle any technical questions or issues that arose.

She began with some instructions to the newcomers as we logged in, helping us, for example, maximize our screen size for best viewing and also to locate some added features. One of those features was an "emotion box" that was part of a software plug-in that hadn’t loaded properly (I’ll blame that on the cantankerous Compaq I was using). By clicking on the many buttons in the emotion box, respondents can enhance their typed responses with things like a laugh or a smirk. While those buttons weren’t available to me, Yoffie reminded me that I could accomplish the same thing by typing [:laugh] and hitting the enter key, which would result in an entry like "Ryder laughs" in the dialog stream.

Yoffie explained the ground rules, asking us type our comments in lowercase letters (hers would be in uppercase so they would stand out more). She encouraged us to type as much as we wanted and reminded everyone that spelling didn’t count.

Throughout the 90 or so minutes that we were on-line together, there were usually five or six respondents in the discussion (some people ducked in and out to take care of more pressing matters). As Yoffie led us through the topics, which ranged from how much time we spend on the Web to our opinions of on-line research, most respondents "spoke" in brief but complete thoughts. Each of the topics could have sustained several hours of discussion but we bounced around a lot, just to get people used to chatting on-line.

While I’ve visited a few chat rooms over the years, I’d forgotten how having to quickly type your thoughts forces you to choose your words carefully. Unless you’re Mavis Beacon, your fingers can’t always keep up with the flow of ideas. You also have to follow other respondents’ comments while formulating your own.

My fellow respondents and I weren’t shy about expressing ourselves and, as in a standard focus group, several mini conversations flared up. I didn’t envy Yoffie having to keep a handful of smart aleck researcher types on-task. But she did a nice job, assuring us later that during a "real" on-line group, the discussion is much more controlled.

Here’s a sample of the dialogue, taken from the transcript (clients receive a raw transcript as soon as the session is over and a formatted one two days later):

Mon May 19 16:44:55 1997: Amy says, "LET’S TRY TO GET EVERYONE INTO A NEW TOPIC NOW."

Mon May 19 16:44:58 1997: Carlgel says, "Hmmm, so we are just one disorderly bunch, eh?"

Mon May 19 16:45:00 1997: Stnee says, "Also there is a difference in a group from what we are doing now. usually everyone is responding to the moderator’s questions - not asking their own"

Mon May 19 16:45:11 1997: Ryder says, "blame the moderator!:smirk"

Mon May 19 16:45:17 1997: Amy says, "THAT’S THE TRUTH!"

Mon May 19 16:45:20 1997: Carlgel laughs hysterically.

Mon May 19 16:45:30 1997: Maran says, "That’s what happens when you get a bunch of market researchers together!"

Mon May 19 16:45:32 1997: Amy says, "BUT STNEE IS BLAMING THE PARTICIPANTS, I THINK!"

Mon May 19 16:45:33 1997: Amy laughs hysterically.

MonMay 19 16:46:12 1997: Ag0ysays, "HAS ANYONE SHOPPED FOR SOMETHING ONLINE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU BOUGHT ANYTHING? IF SO, WHAT?"

Mon May 19 16:46:16 1997: Ryder says, "yes ma’am"

Mon May 19 16:46:20 1997: Carlgel says, "Yep"

Mon May 19 16:46:23 1997: Bwalk says, "Sure!"

Mon May 19 16:46:26 1997: Amy says, "WHAT DID YOU SHOP FOR?"

Mon May 19 16:46:29 1997: Laughlin says, "yes, Amazon.com is great"

Mon May 19 16:46:31 1997: Carlgel says, "My computer!"

Mon May 19 16:46:44 1997: Ryder says, "difficult to obtain CDs by obscure bands"

Mon May 19 16:46:45 1997: Carlgel says, "Actually bought it online from Gateway!"

Mon May 19 16:47:08 1997: Stnee says, "i used the internet to find a flower shop and then ordered by telephone"

A site within a site

The highlight of the evening was when we "followed" Yoffie to the Web site for the city of Westfield, N.J. By typing I/follow amy] I was on my way, my journey confirmed on the screen with the line:

Ryder leaves , heading for westfield, nj web site, following Amy.

In a window at the top of my screen I could see and explore the Westfield civic Web site while monitoring the focus group discussion in the window below. I had some trouble navigating my way to the site, as did a few others, but it was worth the trip. For while the Westfield site was dull, if well-meaning, containing page after page of text on everything you never wanted to know about the bustling New Jersey burg, it was an eye-opening example of what will eventually be one of the real strengths of on-fine research: the ability to expose a group of far-flung respondents to almost any type of material, from package prototypes to TV commercials.

While it’s already possible to show complex graphics to on-line respondents, current technology can make it a time-consuming endeavor. But as data transfer speeds increase and the graphics-handling capability of computers improves, there’s almost no limit to the kinds of things researchers can test on-fine.

Lots of potential

Before doing the group I was already sold on the potential of on-line research - as long as marketers keep in mind that, like any technique in its nascent stages, it’s still being defined and refined.

All in all, I was impressed. The whole process was pretty intuitive, though at this point in its evolution, Web qualitative is probably best conducted with the onfine savvy, people who are familiar with on-line terms and features like chat rooms, Web sites and links. Otherwise I imagine it might all be a bit bewildering.

The experience left me feeling energized, partly due to the good humor of the other participants and partly the thrill of doing something new and different. When things go smoothly, I’m sure anyone who participates in on-line research would feel the same way. I’m now more convinced than ever that on-line research could be a much needed shot in the arm for an industry that’s battling Caller ID, sugging and other contributors to declining cooperation rates. It’s not going to make any other techniques obsolete but it’s a nice addition to the information-gathering arsenal.

And it’s probably wishful thinking to hope that a consumer who has a good time in an on-line group might be more willing to participate in some other kind of research the next time they’re asked. But as long as providers keep the process fun and informative for respondents, they'll engender goodwill toward the research process - which might be an unexpected but welcome benefit of this exciting new research approach.