Focus Group Example_Focus Group Guide

OMB No. 0915-0212 Exp. Date 07/3/2021

Moderator’s Guide

HRSA Online Focus Groups Minority Organ Donation

Introduction (5 minutes)

Thank you for joining. My name is _____________, and I’ll be moderating our discussion today. I really appreciate the time that each of you is taking to attend this group, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Before we begin, I am required by law to report the OMB Control Number for this public information request. The OMB control number is 0915-0212, with an expiration date of July 3, 2021.

Now, I would like to go over the ground rules for our discussion today:

• First, did everyone understand the informed consent form? Do you have any questions about this form? [Answer all questions, and then proceed]

• The purpose of our discussion is to hear your opinions. I want to hear everything you have to say, both positive and negative. There are no wrong answers. It is as important for me to know if there is something you don’t understand or like, as it is for me to hear about what you do know and like.

• Everyone’s participation today is important. Part of my job as a moderator is to make sure we get a chance to hear from everyone. So, at times, I may call on you, or ask you to shorten your remarks, so everyone has a chance to speak.

• I have a set of questions that I need to get through. There may be times when I move us on to another topic, so that we end on time.

• This is a group discussion, so you don’t need to wait for me to call on you to speak. Please feel free to respond directly to other people’s thoughts and ideas. However, only one person should speak at a time, and please address your comments to the entire group.

• As a reminder, this discussion is being recorded. That will help to make sure that I accurately reflect what everyone says here today when I write my report. However, nothing that you say will be attributed to you by name. I also want to remind you that other people are observing this discussion.

• Does anyone have any questions about these ground rules before we get started?

Great. We really appreciate your input.

To get started, why don’t we start by introducing ourselves to one another? Please tell us your first name and what city, state you live in. Let’s start with ______________.

Explanation and Warm-Up (10 minutes)

The main purpose of this group is to discuss organ donation. All of you support organ donation, and none of you are registered organ donors. We’re not here to try to change that, and I’m not going to ask you to sign up at the end of our discussion. I’m only interested in your opinions.

Specifically, I’m going to ask you to review a series of campaign concepts. A campaign concept is a big unifying idea behind an advertising campaign that is used through all advertisements, whether on TV, in social media, or on billboards. A campaign concept is the approach that tells the story of a brand, organization, or topic and what it wants its audience to know and feel about it. It sets the overall tone, look and feel, and emotional connection the campaign will embody.

What I want to do is better understand how you react to concepts about organ donation. All of us react to things in different ways. Some reactions are things that we notice, like laughing, getting emotional, or making a mental note to learn more. Some reactions we may not notice unless we are paying very close attention, like feeling a little more alert or excited.

But, before we do that, I want to do a practice of sorts. I’m going to show you some different messages, and I want you to react to them. The most important thing you can do is react as honestly as possible. Almost always, the very first reaction you have is the one that best represents what you are feeling—so don’t think about it too much!

The first ad is from a magazine. I’ll show it on your screen shortly. You will see some survey questions on your screen to answer after I show it.

Remember, for right now, I’m interested just in your initial reactions.

1. Okay, here is the first one: [show ad #1]

Survey Questions	Response Choices
How much did this ad get your attention?	1 – Not at all 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Completely
How clear was the main message?	1 – Not at all clear 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Very clear

Now that everyone has completed the survey questions, please type a few words in the chat box about what you thought of the ad. [MODERATOR TO TYPE CONCEPT NUMBER INTO CHAT BOX PRIOR TO ANY RESPONSES] Great, thank you!

Now, before we start looking at communication materials related to organ donation, I want you to indicate how you are feeling about organ donation right now. And remember, your honest opinion is what is most important to me. Please answer these questions.

Survey Questions	Response Choices
How important do you believe organ donation is?	1 – Not at all important 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Very important
How likely are you to register as an organ donor in the next five years?	1 – Not at all likely 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Very likely

Great. Let’s start looking at the materials I have to show you.

Review Materials: Initial Reactions (20 minutes)

[REPEAT FOR EACH AD. ROTATE ORDER.]

I have a series of three campaign concepts I want to show you. I’ll show each concept and give everyone time to review it on their own, and then I will launch the survey with a series of three questions about it. Please try to answer for each concept individually, as if you had not seen any of the prior examples. For each concept, you will see several ways that the concept can come to life. First you will see a video script with corresponding sample imagery. I will play a voice over recording of the script. Then you will see a series of ads tied to each concept that could appear on a billboard or social media. 

After you answer the survey, I will ask you to chat me your reaction to concept. Remember: We just want your honest opinions. The most important thing you can do is react as honestly as possible. Almost always, the very first reaction you have is the one that best represents what you are feeling—so don’t think about it too much!

I’ll put the first item up on the screen. Please answer all the questions. Remember, we’re most interested in your first reactions. We’ll go through all the materials quickly, and then talk about them some more.

Survey Questions	Response Choices
How much did this ad get your attention?	1 – Not at all 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Completely
How clear was the main message?	1 – Not at all clear 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Very clear
How interested does this make you in learning more about organ donation?	1 – Not at all interested 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Very interested

Please type a few words in the chat box about what you thought of the ad. [MODERATOR TO TYPE CONCEPT NUMBER INTO CHAT BOX PRIOR TO ANY RESPONSES]

[REPEAT FOR EACH ITEM]

[ONCE ALL ARE REVIEWED]

Now please answer these questions again:

Survey Questions	Response Choices
How important do you believe organ donation is?	1 – Not at all important 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Very important
How likely are you to register as an organ donor in the next five years?	1 – Not at all likely 2 3 4 5 6 7 – Very likely

Review Materials: More Detailed Reactions (30 minutes)

[REPEAT FOR EACH CONCEPT. MATCH ORDER INITIALLY SHOWN.]

Let’s go through each of these items again in more depth now. We will talk about how you responded.

2. What are your reactions to this concept? Why?

3. What’s appealing? What got your attention? [MARK ON SCREEN]

4. In your own words, what is the main message?

5. Did this concept feel personally relevant to you? Do you think you would pay attention to it if you saw it?

6. How does this concept impact your interest in organ donation? Why?

7. What could be improved? Is there anything about it that doesn’t work for you?

8. [BRIEFLY REVIEW SURVEY RESULTS AND PROBE ON ANYTHING NOT PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED]

1. Attention

2. Clarity

3. Interest to learn more

[REPEAT FOR EACH CONCEPT]

Discuss Materials (20 minutes)

Great. Now you have seen several different materials on organ donation. Let’s talk about them as a group. [SHOW ALL ON SCREEN]

9. Which concept most speaks to you? Which do you find most motivating? Why?

10. What stood out for you as you reviewed all the materials? What was the most helpful or useful information you saw in these materials?

11. After seeing these materials, would you want to learn more about organ donation? Why or why not?

12. How did these concepts impact how important you think organ donation is?

    1. How did they impact how likely you are to consider becoming a donor? Why?

13. Do you think you are likely to do anything different related to organ donation as a result of seeing these materials? Why or why not?

14. If you wanted to become a registered organ donor, what else would you need to know?

15. Please take a moment and type what the #1 reason would be to be an organ donor. [ALL TYPE ANSWER TO QUESTION IN CHAT BOX]

    1. Was there anything in these materials that addressed that?

16. Please take a moment and type what the #1 reason not to be an organ donor would be. [ALL TYPE ANSWER TO QUESTION IN CHAT BOX]

    1. Was there anything in these materials that addressed that?

17. These materials are designed specifically to encourage people of color to learn more about and to consider registering as organ donors.

    1. Do these materials seem appropriate for a diverse audience? Why or why not?

    2. Are there any issues, in particular, you think these materials need to address?

    3. Do you have any advice on how to encourage minority audiences to learn more about this topic?

Closing Comments (5 minutes)

This has been a great discussion.

18. Do you have any other thoughts, comments, or questions on this topic?

Thank you so much. I am working for a government agency called the Health Resources and Services Administration. This agency encourages people to register to become organ donors. We will use this feedback to improve the materials they develop on this topic. For more information, please visit organdonor.gov.

I am required to read the following statement:

The purpose of this collection is to obtain feedback from customers and potential customers related to the HRSA Division of Transplantation’s (DoT) outreach materials on organ donation and transplantation for minority audiences. The results of this collection will enable HRSA DoT to appropriately address the unique information needs of minorities in its communication materials and outreach efforts. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this information collection is 0915-0212, and it is valid until 07/03/2021. This information collection is voluntary. All information obtained will be used by HRSA DoT, and will not be shared with the public. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.75 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to HRSA Reports Clearance Officer, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 14N136B, Rockville, Maryland, 20857 or paperwork@hrsa.gov.

This completes our discussion.

Thank you again for your help with this important project!

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