Focus group interviews are discussions in small groups. They can be conducted online too. The advantages of this method lie primarily in the mutual stimulation of responses, the high information content and the rapid detection of discrepancies. Focus groups are used both for exploratory purposes and for validation. As a comparatively inexpensive method, they are frequently used in empirical social science research but must be carefully planned and conducted (e.g. in terms of moderation, structure, participation opportunities, group composition and size, discussion dynamics, independent recording/transcription).
