Moderator Guide

Focus Group UC Davis, Coursera

May 16, 2017
Mock, New, and Updated Cell Phone Features
(Have group get food and sit down in their seats.)

I. Background:
Welcome, and thank you for coming to our focus group discussion about cell phones today. I
am Susan Berman, my independent research firm Impact Research was hired to get your
feedback about the most important attributes that drive you to buy a new cell phone.
The company wants to find out what features they should include in this cellphone to make it
the most attractive of the newest and hottest cellphones on the market.

II. Rules of Focus Group

We want you all to talk freely about your opinions today. Remember there are no right or
wrong answers so please share openly. We want to hear from everybody, just not at the
same time.

We appreciate that you agreed to participate in what will become an example of

a focus group that will be used as part of an online course for UC Davis
Extension on Qualitative Research.

The consent form you signed allows us to use audio and video segments from
this group for instructional purposes only.

Since this is for a course, there may be times throughout the group where we will need to
ask you to repeat one of your comments if the videographer missed it. We appreciate your
cooperation in advance.

When a report is written, there will not be any identifying factors

in the report; your name or likeness will not be used.
The group should last no longer than 90 minutes. Please refrain from leaving the room
until the group is over and make sure to turn off your cell phone.

Please face your table-tent with your name towards me so I can see it.
Ill. Introductions (10 Minutes)

As you know, I am Susan Berman, the instructor for the course on Qualitative Research and
the one who recruited you last week.

Before we start, I want to go around the room, state your first name, tell me
what you are studying at UC Davis and what you like to do in your free time.

I will start, "Hello my name is Susan. I studied Human Development and Communications
at UC Davis and Stanford and do market research for a living. I love to play tennis and go
to the beach with my Labrador.

IV. Background Questions on Current Cell Phone:

(30 minutes with backup Q and probes)
When I recruited you for the group, you stated that you have bought a high-end cell
phone within the last couple of years.

(FOR EVERYONE) (Reverse direction)

Q1. Let's start by going around the room again and tell me first what cell phone brand and
model you have and what features you like about your current cell phone.

(WRITE DOWN THE IMPORTANT FEATURES)

P9F: Android, doesn’t break when dropped. Glass
P8M: I phone 5s, social media.
P7F: I phone 6s, camera, connects to my mac, music and have
apple everything.
P6F: I phone 5s, message-effective communication
P5M: I phone 7, camera-quality photos, cloud based system
sharing on multiple devices.
P4F: I phone SE, smart, group message.
P3F: I phone 6, battery life, not that great, given by dad, had nokia.
P2F: Alcatel idle 3, cheap alternative, similar to android, camera,
good quality pictures, screen
P1M: I phone SE, message, Data sharing apps.

Q2. What made you choose that brand in the first place?
Responses...Others
 P7F & P4F: Knew, was going to buy I phone. Also, good quality.
Features, Various Specifications, Good Alternative, Cheaper price,
High quality.
Probe:
If you considered another type of phone when you were buying your current one, what
made you decide not to buy that one?
P2F: Was looking at Nexus before, brother recommended, cheaper
price, same features.
P9F: Going to pick I phone but battery heating, switched to
android.
Probe:
Did you switch from another brand?
What made you decide to buy this one over that one?
P7F: Had android but switched to I phone.
P4F: Had an anonymous phone but switched to I phone for higher
quality and smart look.
Probe:
What are things you don't like about your cell phone compared to others?

Probe:
When do you use your cell phone for the most?
***Leading... like at school, work, with family, friends or all of those

Asked after section V, Question 3

P4F: Alarm
P7F: Social media
P8M: Messaging
P6F: Music
P3F: Messaging, managing things, to do list, schedule things
P2F: To do list, googling for multi-purpose
P4F: Google drive, can look up my work everywhere
Usage: School, home, studying

V. Features and Apps (20 minutes)

Q3. What features or Apps are the most important on your cell phone? You
named some already.
 (Go to flipchart, list and write: Photos, email, Texting, Skype/What's App,
Calendar, Books, YouTube, Twitter)

Features, Applications & Specifications: Camera, battery, cloud

system, size, not breaking, not over-heating, quality, screen size,
price, YouTube, messaging, social media, emojis, internal storage,
portability, calender, radio, flashlight, finding my phone, LCD,
resolution.

Q4. Thinking about some these phone features or apps you mentioned, as I read
each one by raising your hand, which would you say is the most important to
you? Then least important?
(Read each one and get count of hands).
Most Important Features: Camera, Battery life, cloud storage,
durability, internal storage, messaging, size, social media, find your
phone, LCD.
Moderate important feature: Sim card.
Least important feature: Emojis,
Most Important: Camera (4), Youtube (1), Messaging (3), size (1),
social media (4), find your phone (6)
Whatsapp vs Skype
Probe:
Did we miss any other features?

VI. Phone Attributes (20 minutes with probes)

Q5. Thinking about specific attributes/technical specs, what sold you on the
cellphone when you are making a decision to purchase? What were most
important to you? (Write on flipchart)

(Write) data privacy and security, storage, longer battery life, better camera,
speed, durability (impact-resistant, waterproof), LCD resolution.

(Rate by show of hands) Then ask, “Least important?”

Asked after section IX
Most important features:
Battery life 8
Internal storage 7
Cloud storage 5
Durability 4
Least Important Feature:
Sim card
Probe:
(By show of hands) How many of you would NOT buy a phone if it had poor performance
with each attribute. (Go through each attribute on the flipchart).

VII. Price (10 minutes with probes)

Q6. How do you feel about the price you paid for your cell phone? Was it
worth the cost?

Five people answered, it was woth the cost

Probe:

Thinking about a cellphone price, what do you think would be the most
acceptable price range and payment plan for a cellphone that had all of the
most important features you have mentioned?

People answered: $300-$900

VIII. Design (size and weight) (fun question) (5 minutes)

Q8. If you could design a new cell phone, what would it look like and what
would it do?

P8M: Smallest, lightest.

P7F: Good battery & camera
P2F: Solar powered
P5M: like google, parts replacement, that’s the future.
P3F: 1.5-2 * more battery life. Charging once a week.
P9F: Something like fit band, counts heart beat and captures
lifestyle.

IX. The Social Aspect of the Phone (10 minutes)

Introduced earlier after section V and before section IV.

Q9. What are you feelings about how cell phones either help or hurt face-to-
face communication with friends or family?

P5M: More interconnected, facebook, domestically hard to

maintain conversation & initiatives for meet up, Cellphones
making it more distant. Less actual meet ups. Social media, no
boring stuff. People refrain from contacting. Less talking over
phone, more messaging.
 Social media life vs real life.

P2F: Desensitized, less likely to contact due to frequent

interaction, social media/cell phones. Face to face, in-depth,
lacking.

P4F & P3F: like snippets to remain in contact, hard to contact

abroad. Makes it easier.

P9F: Emotionless, people forgot to write letters.

P7F: Killing time, when waiting somewhere. Not speaking to

people near instead using cell phone.

Anything else you want to add?

X. Closing

We have shared a lot of important information today about what types are things are
important to you about your cell phone experience. We all have interesting priorities when
it comes to our cell phone.

Once again, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come to the
focus group tonight. We hope you had a good time.
Incentives