One-on-One Interviews vs. Focus Groups: Advantages & Disadvantages

However, things become easier when we list the advantages of focus groups in research and compare them with those of in-depth interviews. Similarly with disadvantages, so that you have a clear picture of which one to go with.

A Deep Dive into Advantages & Disadvantages of One-on-One Interviews vs. Focus Groups

Focus Groups

As a feedback mechanism, a focus group involves recording feedback from a group of people on a product. Focus group sessions are guided by a moderator who interacts with different participants present in the discussion. Focus group interview questions include questions about the product under study that are being posed to the participants. While there’s real research going on with everything being recorded, the overall ambience of the discussion remains open and candid. The questions for focus group participants are set beforehand by market researchers in order to get detailed responses.

The end product of such a well-directed group discussion is the collection of valuable data regarding a product that’s the subject of the research. Focus group studies don’t only revolve around the features that are present in the product. Participants are also teased with questions about features they would like to see in the product. Regardless of whether that product is a smartphone, an app, a treatment for diabetes, etc. Mostly, the number of participants in a focus group is 10. With each participant given roughly 9 minutes to speak, focus group discussions can last for a total of 90 minutes. So if you want to know why is a focus group better than an interview, keep reading.

Advantages of Focus Groups Over Interviews

• • • Focus groups feature multiple participants who offer diverse perspectives on the same product.
    • Focus groups need comparatively less spending when it comes to content analysis and coding than in-depth interviews. Therefore, focus groups are affordable and just require transcription services.
    • A focus group is the most feasible qualitative research method compared to in-depth interviews, especially in a B2C setting.
    • Focus group discussion is the top research method when it comes to identifying the group dynamics in buying behavior.
    • Focus groups are easier to conduct and you can generate valuable insights a lot more quickly.

Disadvantages of Focus Groups Over Interviews

• • • Not all participants in a focus group discussion get equal time to voice their opinion if there’s an outspoken participant in the group.
    • Speaking time allocated to each focus group participant is less compared to one-on-one interviews.
    • If you’re conducting market research for a B2B business, focus groups are hard to organize.
    • Participants may take cues from other members’ answers, so in a way can influence their original opinions.
    • A moderator’s bias may creep in and affect the accuracy of data, which can make the results less reliable.

One-on-One Interviews

Another qualitative market research method is in-depth or one-on-one interviews. Unlike focus groups, the respondents in in-depth interviews are hired by the market research firm. Recruited respondents are asked various open-ended questions by market researchers in order to collect insightful and in-depth answers. One thing that you need to know when comparing focus groups vs interviews is the quality of the data collected from IDI interviews about a product or a service.

In-depth interviews as qualitative research methods are so designed to promote engagement with participants and extract more detailed responses. Pharmaceutical companies can collect valuable insights about drugs and treatment methods through in-depth interviews with healthcare professionals. In-depth interviews are conducted face-to-face and last about 45 – 60 minutes. Therefore, participants get more speaking time compared to what they get in focus group discussions.

Advantages of One-on-One Interviews Over Focus Groups

• • • Participants in one-on-one interviews get to speak for a longer duration.
    • Longer speaking time means respondents can offer in-depth answers on products or services.  
    • Detailed feedback garnered from in-depth interviews means researchers can collect more valuable data to conduct statistical analyses.
    • Generally, in-depth interviews yield accurate results because of the least interference from moderator bias, which is so prominent in focus group settings.

Disadvantages of One-on-One Interviews Over Focus Groups

• • • One of the disadvantages of one-on-one interviews is that they have a very complicated methodology and are difficult to organize.
    • No wonder then one-on-one interviews are more expensive compared to focus groups.
    • Data generated from in-depth interviews need a specialist to interpret it and requires coding services on top of transcription.
    • Especially in B2B settings, one-on-one interviews are quite difficult to organize and time-consuming interview guides make it even more difficult, which researchers have to create before interviews.

One-on-One Interviews vs. Focus Groups: Which Qualitative Research Method To Choose

Researchers may find one or the other more useful in different settings for their market research projects. In other words, there should be enough room to accommodate both these research methods and use one over the other as the project demands. 

Both one-on-one interviews and focus groups have got advantages and disadvantages. While focus groups are useful when it comes to collecting data about group dynamics, in-depth interviews allow researchers to deep dive into individual respondents’ answers to collect more useful and accurate data.

Rest, it will depend on your budget and business settings – whether B2C or B2B –  which will determine whether to go with focus groups or one-on-one interviews. However, one thing is common to both these qualitative market research methods and that’s both require transcription services, which are provided by Transcribe Lingo.   

You can time going through the data collected from market research by getting your recordings converted into transcripts that are easier to sift through. Contact Transcribe Lingo now for 99% accurate and highly secure human-done transcription services by emailing us at hello@transcribelingo.com or calling directly on the following numbers depending on your location: UK: +44 121 295 8707; USA: +1 213 669 6381.