焦點團體訪談法具備在短時間內有效地獲取大量互動式意見的特性,有研究者認為特別適合重視消費者需求及偏好的設計專業。本文的目的是探討焦點團體訪談在設計領域的應用,並以遠距協同設計案為例。在個案中,研究者使用團體互動訪談方式,收集並分析遠距協同設計參與者的經驗及意見,以充分了解遠距協同設計案之優缺點及未來推動可能遇到的困難。結果發現同步溝通及3D虛擬模型檔案使用,在遠距協同設計的必要性;對軟體意見方面,則希望介面的操作能更容易使用。從方法論觀點,充分納入參與者的意見與主觀經驗,並與實務工作者或研究對象合作,是質性研究重要的特色與優勢之一,針對設計領域日漸重視消費者需求的特質,可見焦點團體訪談法在未來設計研究上扮演著相當重要的角色。
Focus group is an efficient technique to gain a diverse range of insights about users' needs, which may be particularly suitable for designers. The primary purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of focus group interview technique in industrial design. Focus group method was employed to collect users' experience and needs in a remote collaborative design project to explore the strengths and weaknesses of it. The study results showed that users found synchronous technique and 3D software helpful and suggested that the hardware and software system should be designed and updated based on users' needs. From the methodology aspect, focus group technique can be very helpful for design researchers in conducting user research because involving members' point of view and cooperating with diverse professionals are vital characteristics of qualitative researches.