Finding a reliable, remote focus group is a huge advantage for your marketing team to test new ads and video content. Not only does it save enormous amounts of time, money, and resources, but during a global pandemic, it allows marketing research to continue smoothly and safely.
TryMyUI’s remote user testing suite is regularly utilized by ad agencies and marketers from all industries as a convenient remote focus group to test new marketing content. TryMyUI is built for people of any user experience expertise level, and can be easily adopted by marketers or other creatives.
TryMyUI removes all of the hurdles that dissuade non-UXers from using services like ours for their remote focus group and marketing research needs.
Below, we will walk through a short task script that is similar to what existing customers use for their remote focus group user tests. Skip to the end to read about the general settings we used!
Read the basics: How to set up your first remote usability test on TryMyUI
The scenario: Focusing your remote focus group
The “scenario” puts your focus group in the frame of mind that you expect your target audience to be in. The trick is to make it relatable and easy to understand, while also informing the participants of any unique features of the test.
Example scenario:
You are casually browsing YouTube and click on the video you want to watch. Prior to your video playing, you’re presented with an advertisement that you must watch a part of before you can view your video.
NOTE: You will be watching a video, not interacting with a website or product.
The scenario we used for this test has both of the elements described above:
- The first section contains the “story” part, the little bit of exposition that gives the tester a purpose and a jumping-off point for the rest of their experience
- The second included specific instructions about what the tester should expect and how this test differs from other usability tests they may have performed
The second part is important that testers are aware of the limitations of the interface. Otherwise, they may begin talking about where the video is being hosted or narrate their confusion about the nature of the test.
Writing the script (“Tasks”): Asking questions
Tasks are the series of instructions that will structure each participant’s testing session. In general, these are specific actions users are asked to perform while trying out a website, app, or prototype.
Since this test is for getting feedback on marketing content instead of on an interface, we’ll use these tasks mostly to ask important verbal-response questions to our remote focus group, as you would with any focus group.
We will not be checking any of the optional boxes beneath (for the task usability and completion features).
Below, we will walk through a set of example tasks, with explanations for how and why we wrote them the way we did.
Task 1:
When the page loads, please press play on the video. Watch the video only one time through. When the video is complete, please share what you believe the video is trying to communicate, including what the business is selling, and who it might be targeting.
This first task is a rough approximation of our Impression Test, which is not often suited to focus group testing unless the videos will only be seen on the company’s website. Usually, impression testing is just a fleeting view of the company’s homepage to generate initial impressions.
Here, we want to do something similar, but with just the video.
Task 2:
Now rewatch the video, but this time, as you’re watching, please speak aloud about what you notice and are seeing.
After asking about a more passive impression in Task 1, we want to start focusing in on key elements that users are or are not picking up on. For example, maybe the video makes some interesting creative choices that imply mood or tone, and you want to know if reads to an audience.
Asking focus group participants to think aloud while viewing a video or ad isn’t something non-remote focus groups or panels often get to do. You will find that remote user feedback is much more open and insightful due to the “group” being individuals in the comfort of their own homes.
Task 3:
You may now watch the video again. As you’re watching, comment on what you like and dislike about the video, including anything that is confusing. Do you find this video to be compelling?
In Task 3, we want to know more about how they’re feeling. This type of task can be a goldmine of crucial, actionable feedback. Note to the follow-up question. It’s one think to like or dislike a video you’ve asked them to watch three times, but it’s more important to ascertain for certain if the video would actually hold their attention.
By asking a question like “do you find this video to be compelling” you engage the participant to think critically. This is the sort of feedback that can affirm a great piece of marketing content, or reveal a major flaw.
Task 4:
Without watching the video again, describe what the primary benefits of the business/product presented in the video are.
The last task we want to ask participants to perform is a culmination of the other tasks, packaged in a “aha!”-friendly moment of insight. This will tell you how successfully the video communicated your marketing goals.
Recap: Full task script
Scenario: You are casually browsing YouTube and click on the video you want to watch. Prior to your video playing, you’re presented with an advertisement that you must watch a part of before you can view your video.
NOTE: You will be watching a video, not interacting with a website or product.
Task 1. When the page loads, please press play on the video. Watch the video only one time through. When the video is complete, please share what you believe the video is trying to communicate, including what the business is selling, and who it might be targeting.
Task 2. Now rewatch the video, but this time, as you’re watching, please speak aloud about what you notice and are seeing.
Task 3. Please watch the video again, and as you’re watching, comment on what you like and dislike about the video, including anything that is confusing. Do you find this video to be compelling?
Task 4. Without watching the video again, describe what the primary benefits of the business/product presented in the video are.
Tip: If you want to include another video beyond the first, you can include the next video URL in a task and continue on!
Additional notes for your remote focus group testing
Such a short task script will ideally result in very short videos that are easy to review. But where TryMyUI really excels compared to other remote focus group alternatives is the post-test survey, a series of optional written-response questions. This is great for a quick overview of your marketing campaign’s performance and the remote focus group’s general sentiments.
You may also want your participants to answer screener questions to better refine your remote focus group. An example for a verbal screener question that affirms the participant is right for you follows a format along these lines:
You must have previously purchased [RELEVANT TYPE OF PRODUCT.SERVICE]. Please explain which product(s)/service(s) you have purchased and your primary reasoning. Include details about how you have benefitted from the product(s)/service(s)
If you’d like to learn how to set up your test, from surveys and appropriate demographics to different data sets and screener questions, please review this gif-centric post. If you’re curious what a video will look and sound like, see an example here.
Most likely, you will be testing a live site on computers, and sending your remote focus group participants a YouTube video link for the URL.
