It will come as no surprise to  you that a recent article from the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8562801.stm) noted Facebook is the 5th most visited website in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil, US and Australia. Twitter comes in at 24th, closely followed by Skype at 25th.

Organisations have been quick to explore ways the can increase the reach and speed by which they communicate with their target audience through the use of social networks.

In focus groups and one-on-one interviews, more often than not we observe users rejecting attempts from organisations to infiltrate social networks. In order to sign up to a Facebook group, encourage their friends to do so, follow someone on Twitter or read a blog, users need to feel some level of affinity or relevance. While users may have a pre-existing off-line relationship with an organisation, it does not necessarily follow suit that they will want to see this relationship extended to their social network. For example, if I am an avid bicycle rider I may want to link with a local bicycle riders association and a particular brand of bike that I really identify with, and let others know about this. However, I am less likely to identify with my insurance company, an organisation I only have a relationship with out of necessity.

In our experience, those organisations which put serious thought into how they might make themselves relevant to their target audience in the context of a social network, reap the benefits.

A common misconception about Usability and research, is that focus groups are essentially design by committee. Focus groups are commonly used by usability practitioners to understand user needs and requirements of an interface.  While they are about obtaining a variety of users’ opinions (potentially conflicting) and feedback we would argue that the feedback is not ‘design by committee’.

Design by committee is a term generally used to describe a process in which the design is compromised by attempting to meet all needs and in effect, meeting none.  In a web context, this may mean that in an attempt to appeal to many, the homepage becomes ineffective due to a lack of clarity and/or focus.

While it is possible for the outcomes from focus group research to become design by committee, it is the skill of a trained Usability practitioner that ensures this does not happen.  A truly effective focus group asks appropriate questions which aid in understanding users and their underlying needs. Often it is about understanding user behavior, rather than asking direct questions about what people like and dislike.  For example, by asking users about the process of buying a new home it was possible for us to identify that maps were of the utmost importance and that people were motivated by attempting to emulate their own childhood neighborhoods.

When run properly, focus groups are an ideal means of eliciting user feedback to ensure that designs do meet both the user and business needs.