How can you co-create and co-design new products and services with customers using focus groups?

2 Why use focus groups for co-creation and co-design?

Focus groups are a useful method for co-creation and co-design because they allow you to interact with customers in a structured and moderated way. Through focus groups, you can gain insights into customer problems, needs, and motivations, test and validate your assumptions and hypotheses, generate and evaluate ideas and concepts, collect feedback and suggestions for improvement, observe customer reactions and emotions, and build rapport and trust with customers. Additionally, focus groups can be combined with other methods such as surveys, interviews or observations to complement and enrich your data.

3 How to plan and prepare focus groups for co-creation and co-design?

Prior to conducting focus groups for co-creation and co-design, it is important to plan and prepare carefully. You should begin by defining objectives and research questions in order to understand what you want to learn from the focus groups and the main topics or themes you want to cover. Additionally, you need to identify and recruit your participants, such as target customers, and design your discussion guide with questions that will be asked. Furthermore, it is important to prepare materials and tools for facilitating the activities, such as prototypes, sketches, cards, stickers, or digital platforms. Lastly, you should arrange your logistics by deciding when and where the focus groups will be conducted and how long they will last. Don't forget to record and document them!

4 How to conduct focus groups for co-creation and co-design?

When you conduct focus groups for co-creation and co-design, you need to follow some best practices to ensure the quality and validity of your results. It's essential to have a skilled moderator who can ask open-ended and probing questions, stimulate group dynamics, and handle any conflicts that may arise. Additionally, it's important to create a comfortable and engaging environment with icebreakers, warm-ups, and incentives. The discussion guide is an important tool that helps to structure the focus group, but you should also be flexible and adapt to the flow of the conversation. During the co-creation and co-design activities, it's necessary to explain the objectives, instructions, and rules of each activity, as well as provide materials and tools. Furthermore, it's important to encourage participants to express their thoughts and feelings, brainstorm ideas, build on each other's ideas, and give feedback.

5 How to analyze and report focus groups for co-creation and co-design?

After you conduct focus groups for co-creation and co-design, you need to analyze and report them properly. You should transcribe the audio or video recordings of the focus groups and code the data according to your objectives and research questions. Coding is the process of assigning labels or categories to the data, such as themes, patterns, or concepts. Then, interpret and synthesize the data to extract the key findings and insights. Look for commonalities and differences among the participants, as well as for strengths and weaknesses of the co-created and co-designed solutions. Finally, present and communicate your results to stakeholders using visual aids such as charts, graphs, or images. Make sure to highlight the implications and recommendations of your results for developing new products and services.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?