What is a two-way mirror and why are they used in focus groups?

If you have ever participated in a qualitative market research focus group or focus group, your recruiter will have explained to you any audio or video recordings that are made, to help the researcher write their report afterwards. It is important that during the discussion the talk can flow and develop naturally without being stopped or interrupted by taking notes or asking for repetition, and these days it is very normal to record and even live stream the investigation. Of course, it is protected at all times by the code of conduct of the Market Research Society in the UK and similar bodies in other countries, and today people are much more comfortable with the idea of ​​video surveillance and recording, that a camera in the corner of the room rarely feels awkward or intrusive.

However, many professional research facilities have another feature that you won’t find in the average living room, which looks like a huge mirror, often filling one wall. It doesn’t look like a normal mirror, and that’s because it isn’t; as everyone knows, it has a reflective surface, in the research room, but from the other side it acts simply as a window. Behind the glass is where the client sits to observe the investigation taking place. The name ‘two way mirror’ is actually not very good, it would make more sense to describe it as a one way window, because that’s how it works. If the lights were on in the back room you would see them sitting there, they have to watch you in the brightly lit studio sitting there in the dark.

The moderator leading the research group will, of course, refer to the mirror and tell you if there are people behind it; Usually, if someone pays to use a viewing facility, they’ll want to view the groups directly. But part of the moderator’s job is to make everyone feel completely comfortable, and while it can be hard to imagine the first time you look up at the big gray wall and see your own shocked face reflected in it, you’ll soon forget you’re even there. ! Once he is caught up in the discussion and you share his opinions in a lively and well-planned group, he will simply fade into the background.

Of course, you’ll know on one level that this isn’t just a group of friends having a conversation: it’s a guided discussion designed to figure out certain things from their opinions, and someone is paying for it, hence the mirror, the camera, and the camera. delicacy. snack trays. But when the researcher does their job well, they can put all that awareness aside and get stuck responding to what’s being talked about, knowing that industry codes of ethics and conduct control who sees and knows what extremely poorly. safe. so that your opinions can be shared in complete safety. It’s actually much less intrusive than having a group of observers sitting IN the room, taking notes or raising eyebrows in agreement with what’s being said about your product or brand.

Why do people still sit behind mirrors, in these days of video and streaming technology? There are a variety of reasons. Most researchers would say that it has nothing to do with habit or what they have always done, and would tell you that it simply comes closer to the actual atmosphere and perceptions in the room, when you are sitting a few feet away. instead of looking on your own. home screen. They know that being in the room itself could unduly influence the discussion, but they are eager to get as close as possible and be able to choose who to pay attention to at any given time. Video is great and getting better all the time, but nuances of body language and facial expression can be hard to capture, especially in a group, and different viewers will have different priorities and notice different things. Qualitative research is often about getting as close to the client’s experience as possible, without changing what they are trying to observe… and the use of two-way or one-way glass in an observation setup is a good way to simulate that.