top of page

Focus Group

☻Qualitative Method:
Explore how players feel and behave through interviews, observations, and open-ended feedback.

​

Best Stage: Early Concept

Primary Goal: Explore expectations & reactions

Effort: Moderate

Overview

A focus group is a moderated discussion with a small group of players where researchers gather qualitative feedback on a game concept, mechanic, experience, or feature. The goal is to explore opinions, motivations, expectations, and perceptions in a social, conversational setting.
 

Focus groups are especially useful for:
 

  • Testing early concepts or prototypes

    (e.g., game themes, characters, or art style)

  • Understanding player expectations

    (e.g., “What do you look for in a good tutorial?”)

  • Gathering post-playtest feedback

    (e.g., How did the game feel? What was confusing?)

  • Exploring social dynamics in multiplayer or co-op games


Not ideal when:
 

  • You need precise usability or performance data

  • You’re testing moment-to-moment gameplay

  • Group influence might bias responses

How to Run a Focus Group

1. Define Your Goal

Start with one clear objective. Focus groups work best when you’re exploring ideas, not validating usability.
 

Ask yourself:

  • What do we want to learn?

  • What decisions will this inform?
     

Good goals:

  • Understand reactions to a new game concept

  • Explore expectations for onboarding or progression

  • Gather feedback on tone, theme, or art style
     

2. Recruit the Right Players

Choose participants who reflect the intended audience for your game.

Recommended setup:
 

  • 4–8 participants

  • Similar experience level (avoid mixing experts and beginners)

  • Prior exposure to the genre helps, but isn’t required
     

3. Prepare Discussion Questions

Plan open-ended questions that encourage discussion, not yes/no answers.
 

Example prompts:

  • “What stood out to you about this concept?”

  • “What would you expect this game to feel like after an hour?”

  • “What feels confusing or unclear?”

Avoid leading questions or asking players how they’d “fix” the game.
 

4. Choose Your Materials

Decide what you’ll show or play together:

  • Concept art or mood boards

  • Design docs or feature descriptions

  • Short gameplay clips or builds

  • Paper or Figma prototypes
     

Keep materials lightweight—focus groups are about conversation, not performance.
 

5. Moderate the Session

As the moderator, your role is to guide, not lead.

Best practices:
 

  • Encourage everyone to speak

  • Watch for dominant voices

  • Ask follow-up “why?” questions

  • Stay neutral and curious

Let disagreement happen—it often reveals valuable insights.
 

6. Capture the Conversation

Record the session if possible, or take structured notes.

Focus on:

  • Repeated themes

  • Strong emotional reactions

  • Moments of confusion or excitement

  • Differences in opinion

 Exact quotes are often more useful than summaries.
 

7. Synthesize and Act

After the session, review notes and identify patterns.

Turn insights into:

  • Key takeaways

  • Design risks or opportunities

  • Clear next steps

A good rule of thumb: If you can’t act on it, it’s not an insight yet.

More Resources:

​Grossman, L. (2007, August 2). Halo 2: Inside Bungie’s Usability Lab. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2007/08/ff-halo-2/

bottom of page