Compare and contrast observation, focus groups, and survey as research methods.

There are many ways to conduct research. The method you select depends on the resources available to you (such as time and money), and the kind of information you are hoping to find out. Surveys, observation, and focus groups are three common methods of population research. Each method is widely variable within its own class. Below, these research methods are briefly described, then compared and contrasted.

Surveys
Surveys are a set of pre-developed questions that you provide to your sample group. Often the sample group is self-selected, or conducted on a voluntary basis. Surveys are an extremely common method for quantitative market research. If you've ever seen a comment card at a business, or been asked to give feedback to a website, then you've seen the survey method in action. Surveys are useful for learning popular opinion when you know the question you want to ask. 

Surveys are unique from other methods of research mostly due to the large sample size that can be available. The format of surveys allows them to be released to a large sample for relatively low resource cost. Of these three research methods, surveys are the only quantitative method. Surveys are similar to focus groups in that the researcher has targeted information to ask the sample group. 

Observation
The qualitative research method of observation is the practice of monitoring specific behaviors of a sample group from a population. Observation is the best way to find out actual—rather than reported—behavior. In this way, data gathered from observation can be the most accurate to determine practiced trends in a population. With observation, the limiting factor can be sample size. It can be difficult to observe a large sample size, and as sample size decreases, your data become less reliable.

Observation is different from other methods of research in that it is more open-ended than other methods. The researcher does not provide any input or effect on the sample group. In focus groups and surveys, the researcher asks questions and thus influences the data outcome. Observation is similar to focus groups in that the sample size is often rather small.

Focus Groups
A focus group is a qualitative method of research in which a small group of people is interviewed in a group by a moderator. The moderator has specific goals for the focus group session. Focus groups work within the group process and show how group thinking develops. In focus groups, a company can get rich information that comes from group discussion.

Focus groups are unique from the other research methods listed here in that it is the only method in which the subject studied is not an individual, but rather a small group of people. In this way, focus groups are the only method that show group dynamics. Like surveys, a focus group is not completely free-form, but rather directed by the researcher. This is a strength in that the researcher gets exactly what information he or she wants, but also a weakness in that the researcher may miss information that is not asked about.