Remember, summer is a great time to conduct research with kids, because their schedules are more flexible, allowing for more efficient designs that will save you time and money.
Over the years, I have conducted hundreds of focus groups and interviews with kids, both in facilities and in their own homes. The experience and expertise I have gained has been invaluable and fascinating! I want to share some of the ways to optimize your kid research.
Interviewing children is fun, entertaining and can be very insightful. Techniques for interviewing kids can be playful and fun, but many of the mistakes we can easily make with adults can have even more of an impact on what we learn from kids.
Pause and Listen: I find that the biggest difference in interviewing kids and adults for me is patience. Kids often want a moment to think before they speak. It’s important not to jump into the silence.
Comfort: Others say they think it’s hard to interview kids – I think it has to do with comfort and respect for the children – really being curious about what they think.
Zen: Kids are generally antsy and playful. It’s important for the interviewer to be comfortable with the bubbling energy, the wiggles and giggles, and let it occur to a limited extent so the kids are comfortable and can share.
Control but don’t Quash: The moderator walks a fine line here if there is a child who is problematic. Usually kids want to have a good time and do what the moderator is asking of them.
· Boys are often more squirrely and overt about their misbehavior – one technique I have used is to act like I had no idea what was going on, and asked in a very concerned voice if a boy was alright. He was a little embarrassed and stopped misbehaving.
· Girls tend to be more discreet in their problematic behaviors, but the moderator should be alert to alliances forming, or someone trying to impress another.
Research Design is Critical:
· Having the right mix of age and gender in the room means you can get the most out of your research.
o Stick to a 2-year range (such as 8-9 years old or 3-4 grade). If you have a broader range than that, the younger children likely defer to the older. There is a big difference between an 8 and a 10 year old or a 3rd and 5th grader.
o Gender-mixing seems fine at younger ages unless the topic is such that might clearly evoke different reactions from boys and girls, or if the team wants to know if that might be the case. Then genders should be separated.
o However, when kids get to be in middle school (11 years old or 6th grade) then I recommend separating genders. Other uncontrollable dynamics (such as hormones) make it more challenging to conduct the interview and interpret the findings.
o Homework is recommended when possible as kids can be creative, and also start thinking about a topic so they come in ready to hit the ground running.
Size and length of groups:
· Clients often think the groups should be very short – kids can actually sustain their attention for quite a while. In fact, if the topic requires 2 hours, kids can do two hours if the interview is interesting and changes techniques, is playful and fun. Of course, older kids are more able to do so than younger.
· Group size can also vary and depends on your objectives.
o Sometimes people want to do friendship pairs to get kids more able to share. There are plusses and minuses to this. It depends in part on the moderator and their ability to get the kids to open up, and the objectives. However, I think of a friendship pair as paying 2 kids for 1 interview, because they will often share a viewpoint. Further, their already existing relationship dynamics are not known to the moderator, whereas when interviewing kids who do nto know each other, dynamics form right there in the room and are easier to perceive.
Techniques don’t have to be limited – kids love visual and verbal exercises – have them write a poem or bring in a picture to share. Or make a game of it. The more the setup is like school, the more likely kids will respond as if there is a “right answer.”
Visit http://www.cliftresearch.com to learn more about Clift Research. Choosing the most appropriate research methods and techniques is essential to getting the insight needed to make sure your marketing strategies are based on sound consumer insights. Nancy Clift will work with you to develop a research plan designed to get the answers you need quickly and cost effectively. She can help you make the right choices—every step of the way.