What Gets Used as the Basis for Analysis
Depending on the purpose of the study, the time line, the budget, and the needs of the client, different ways of capturing the data are used as the basis for analysis: transcripts, tapes, notes, and memory.
Transcript Based
Transcript-based analysis uses unabridged transcripts of the focus groups as a basis for analysis. These are often supplemented with field notes taken by researchers. Soon after the focus group, the researcher or a typist completes the transcript, which can easily be thirty to fifty pages of single-spaced text. In the hands of a speedy typist with proper equipment, the transcript of a two-hour focus group can require from eight to twelve hours to prepare. This transcript is normally single-spaced with double spacing between different speakers. Whatever is said by the moderator is capitalized or bolded for easy spotting.
With the transcript, the researcher has several options, some of which are described later (long table or coding via computer). Normally the analyst reads the transcript and makes notes, codes sections, or develops categories. Often the transcripts are printed with a wide margin, allowing for notes and comments to be added in the analysis stage. Some analysts use colored marking pens or scissors to cut out or identify sections of interest or relevance to the study.
The analyst then prepares a report that summarizes the findings and compares and contrasts the findings from different audience groups in the study. The report may be prepared using the focus group questions as an outline or by themes if the themes tend to cut across questions.
Tape Based-Abridged Transcript
Tape-based analysis is slightly less time-consuming than the transcript-based strategy. The tape-based approach relies on listening to a tape recording of each focus group and then developing an abridged transcript of the relevant and useful portions of the discussion. Instead of a thirty- to fifty-page complete' transcript, the abridged transcript might consist of only fifteen to thirty pages. It is a condensed version of the focus group with irrelevant conversation removed.
Only someone with a thorough understanding of the purpose of the study can develop an abridged transcript. Some conversation may seem irrelevant or redundant to those not familiar with the study or research. Or they may think it is like taking minutes of a meeting (it isn't). This abridged transcript should be prepared by a member of the research team.
Note Based
Note-based analysis relies mainly on field notes. The focus group also might have been audio or video recorded, but these sources are used only as a backup or if there is a need for clarifying the notes. The great advantage of the note-based analysis is speed.
The quality of the note-based approach is directly related to the ability of the assistant moderator to capture relevant notes. The moderator's notes, by contrast, are typically sketchy and incomplete because of the need for concentrating on the discussion. Consistency is needed in note taking because in some situations, the moderator will be doing the analysis based on the assistant moderator's notes. In all cases, the notes should indicate when something was a direct quote or when the note taker has paraphrased the participant's comments.
Memory Based
Memory-based analysis is best left to professionals. It requires considerable skill and experience and has substantial potential for error in the hands of a novice. This type of analysis is regularly used by professional moderators in the special focus group rooms with oneway mirrors. After the focus group, the moderator goes around to the back room and offers a memory-based summary of the critical points. The moderator may have made a few sketchy notes, but the summary is largely from memory.
This type of analysis unquestionably lends itself to those studies in which the results are rather clear-cut such as a choice between products and the potential success of a new product. The strategy also works better when the focus group questions are concrete, when the moderator requests a specific response from each participant, and when the moderator uses a flip chart or more detailed notes to capture key points.
The report is oral and allows time for questions and reflections from the clients who watched the focus group. Veteran moderators find that they may need to dislodge unfounded conclusions or interpretations developed by the sponsors who were watching the group. There is a tendency for sponsors to find support for their preexisting convictions, and the role of the moderator-analyst is to guide them out of these traps with a balanced perspective.