Video focus groups let researchers run a live group discussion without booking a facility or flying participants into one city. Everyone joins from a webcam, on a schedule that fits their day, and a moderator leads the conversation the same way they would in a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remote qualitative research moved fast once teams saw it work. Focus groups run over webcam jumped from 18% of studies before 2020 to 48% within a year, and the format has stayed mainstream since, according to Forsta’s research on the shift to online qualitative work<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This guide breaks down what video focus groups are, how they differ from other qualitative methods, and how to plan one that produces insights your team can act on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n A video focus group is a live, moderator-led group discussion where participants join by webcam instead of sitting in the same room. It follows the same basic format as a traditional focus group, just over a video call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes with 6 to 10 participants. A moderator asks a set of guided questions, and the group reacts, builds on each other’s comments, and shares opinions in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most video focus group platforms add features a physical room cannot offer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Video focus groups are one format inside a much larger category. Teams often confuse them with the broader term online focus group<\/a>, which covers both live video sessions and asynchronous, or bulletin board, formats where participants respond over several days instead of in one live call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The table below separates the four methods researchers mix up most.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is a video focus group?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Video focus groups vs. other qualitative research methods<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n