Research is not a school lesson

Focus studies with young users are a valuable source of information about their attitudes, behaviours and habits. It allows us to better understand the young generation, what makes them tick and what kind of digital users they will become as they enter adulthood.

The aim of some of our recent research has been to conduct focus groups with teenagers. We wanted to find out their thoughts and opinions to better understand how they perceive social reality and the digital world around them.

Age groups of respondents

We have recently split our research into two age groups. This takes into account the differences in development and experience between younger and older teenagers.

Group 1: 11-13 years old

The first group consisted of teenagers aged 11-13 years old, divided in half - half of the participants were girls and half were boys. This is a time when teenagers are beginning to develop more independence, but still need adult support.?

Group 2: 14-16 years old

The second group consisted of adolescents between the ages of 14 and 16, again equally divided between girls and boys. At this age, young people are in the midst of puberty, a period of intense emotional and social change. Adolescents between the ages of 14 and 16 begin to form their identities and develop more complex critical thinking skills.

Here are some of the characteristics we have highlighted in this and previous research with younger groups of respondents.

Legal and ethical aspects

The first characteristic of this type of research is that research with adolescents requires that the appropriate legal and ethical aspects are taken into account. Firstly, we make sure that parents can see what is happening in the study.

For younger teenagers, parents are present in another room at the study site and can watch their children participate live. For the older teenagers, parents can also watch remotely - they are sent a link to the broadcast and can watch if they wish. They can also visit our office.

On the one hand, it gives both parents and teenagers a sense of security. But there is another side to the coin. The presence of parents can influence children's reactions.

This is an important and interesting aspect to consider or take into account when designing this type of research. Knowing that you are being watched can lead to a change in response and respondents will behave a little differently. This is true not only for young people but also for adults in any type of research.

Therefore, the potential impact of feeling observed is always taken into account when analysing the data and we assess its magnitude very carefully.?

Meeting preparation?

In focus groups with young respondents, we take even more care to make the meeting attractive than with adults. We use all kinds of creative tasks, creative work that allows free, creative thinking and the use of imagination. We make sure that the materials are visually appealing - nice, colourful and tidy so that they attract attention.

The method of facilitation is also changing. A focus study with teenagers is accompanied by a broader introduction than with adults. With teenagers, the introduction is longer and there is more time for the group to get to know each other. We use different kinds of games to help the teenagers get used to each other.

We make a kind of 'contract', explaining and agreeing on certain rules for the meeting, such as not interrupting each other, giving each other space, allowing a diversity of opinions. All this is presented in a language appropriate to young people. They can make their own comments, add something of their own or ask if they have any doubts.?

Approach is most important

It is useful to emphasise that there are no right or wrong answers to the facilitators' questions, which helps the children not to feel like they are in a school lesson. We explain that the recording will be a note for those working on the topic, but will not be made available to the outside world anywhere. Participants need to feel safe and be aware that the group's conversation will remain a secret within a specific, narrow circle.

Younger participants need to be given more time to speak. This is generally less in depth than for adults, but the difference between age groups is also evident. 11-13 year olds sometimes need more involvement from the facilitator, whereas older teenagers are already more willing to talk and interact with each other, which is similar to facilitating an adult group.

The younger group needs to be encouraged to speak up more. Older teenagers are more willing to participate in discussions and it is obvious that they have well-developed critical thinking. They dare to name certain social phenomena and criticise what they observe. Younger people tend to give answers to specific questions, while older people show more courage and boldness in expressing their opinions.

During the research we noticed an interesting phenomenon: young people clearly prefer working in groups to working individually. When given the choice between working individually or in a team, the majority of young people chose to work together. This observation shows the importance of social interaction and joint action at this age, which not only strengthens the bonds between participants, but also stimulates creativity and commitment to tasks.

And finally, the most important point...

Do the young people enjoy the research? We certainly don't get the feeling that they are stressed. After a warm-up in the form of an icebreaker activity, they naturally get into the situation and enjoy the creative tasks. They become more relaxed and start to approach the tasks with humour. In the future, we are considering focusing only on creative tasks during such studies.

The focus groups we conduct provide invaluable information about teenagers' behaviour, attitudes and needs in relation to digital solutions. By gaining an in-depth understanding of their preferences and how they function in groups, we are better able to design products and services that meet their expectations. The insights we gain allow us to better predict how the younger generation will use technology in the future and adapt our approach to create digital solutions that support their development, everyday functioning or have educational value.