Bringing Real World Context into the Focus Group Setting

This chapter examines the ways that IDEO, a design consulting firm, has adapted the standard focus group methodology in order to better inform its own process. These adaptations introduce elements of the ‘real world’ into the focus group setting, and extend the focus group setting back into the real world. We provide examples from actual project work with our clients to illustrate how our adaptations have led to a more effective design research methodology.