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...on what consumers expected and wanted from packaging, and whatskinds of future problems they envisaged in relation to packaging.sThe data were analysed using a grounded theory–based coding frameworks(=-=Strauss & Corbin, 1990-=-) with the help of the ATLAS/ti program. Open codes were usedsto label topics discussed in the focus groups, such as “convenience” or “packagingsmaterial.” These codes were further categorized in term...

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..., Barbour & Kitzinger, 2001;sGibbs, 1997). They are also increasingly used for practical purposes such as evaluations(Patton, 1990), user participation in product and service development (Kuhn, 2000;s=-=Nielsen, 1993-=-; van Kleef, van Trijp, & Luning, 2005), and community improvement andsempowerment (Clark et al., 2003; Lefèvre, de Suremain, de Celis, & Sejas, 2004; Suter,s2000). Focus groups have thus traversed a ...

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..., urban and communitysstudies, development studies, and educational research (e.g., Barbour & Kitzinger, 2001;sGibbs, 1997). They are also increasingly used for practical purposes such as evaluations(=-=Patton, 1990-=-), user participation in product and service development (Kuhn, 2000;sNielsen, 1993; van Kleef, van Trijp, & Luning, 2005), and community improvement andsempowerment (Clark et al., 2003; Lefèvre, de S...

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...ant them to discuss.sMore conventional academic researchers, on the other hand, might argue that it issdangerous to take the results of focus group discussions “at face value” (e.g., Hollander,s2004; =-=Silverman, 2001-=-). We agree, and do spend a lot of time organizing and analyzingsthe results, considering the role of group interaction and underlying processes by usingsgrounded theory-based analysis methods. There ...

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...nclusion was thus that empirical researchswas needed.sBecause the topic was virtually uncharted, it seemed natural to start exploring thissnovel concept by organizing focus groups with consumers (cf. =-=Flick, 1998-=-; Morgan,s1988). Our study plan justified the selection of this method in accordance with thesfollowing, “…focus group discussions provide information on people’s experiences,sopinions, desires and co...

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...ssert that consumer participation enhances the economy. This argument is supported bysmarketing and business gurus, who argue that modern demanding consumers forcesmarkets to become more competitive (=-=Inglehart, 1997-=-; Pine & Gilmore, 1999; Porter,s1990). Moreover, consumers have been recognized as a source of many economically andssocially significant innovations (Leadbeater & Miller, 2004). Within consumer resea...

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... homogenous group. Our use of focus groups aims to capture thesvariety of consumer perspectives; different, yet all valid interpretations of reality arisesfrom consumers’ different social worlds (cf. =-=Gergen, 1985-=-). After all, consumers come insdifferent sizes and shapes, their life revolves around different issues at different ages, andsthey hail to different beliefs and opinions. Our experience is that knowl...

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...er participation enhances the economy. This argument is supported bysmarketing and business gurus, who argue that modern demanding consumers forcesmarkets to become more competitive (Inglehart, 1997; =-=Pine & Gilmore, 1999-=-; Porter,s1990). Moreover, consumers have been recognized as a source of many economically andssocially significant innovations (Leadbeater & Miller, 2004). Within consumer research,sas well, interest...

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...ton & Wynne, 2001; Wilkinson, 2001). Even thoughsfocus groups as such are not action research, they are a form of data collection that allowssparticipants more latitude than other comparable methods (=-=Kitzinger & Barbour, 2001-=-).sBecause of the qualitative nature of the research, the participants are encouraged to definesthe concepts and framings themselves. Since the discussion is conducted in groups,speople also have the ...

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...think too popular) method insmarketing research (Nancarrow, Vir, & Barker, 2005), but they have had a role in seriousssocial science research since the seminal work of R. K. Merton and P. Lazarsfelds(=-=Hollander, 2004-=-; Morgan, 1988). During the past decades, they have established theirsrole in sociology and communications research. In recent years, they have also becomesincreasingly popular in applied fields such ...

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...rs, they have also becomesincreasingly popular in applied fields such as nursing research, urban and communitysstudies, development studies, and educational research (e.g., Barbour & Kitzinger, 2001;s=-=Gibbs, 1997-=-). They are also increasingly used for practical purposes such as evaluations(Patton, 1990), user participation in product and service development (Kuhn, 2000;sNielsen, 1993; van Kleef, van Trijp, & L...

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... group of participants tosdiscuss a specific topic and then observe how the ensuing discussion evolves (Boddy,s2005). The underlying assumption is that meaning is created in social interaction (e.g.,s=-=Wilkinson, 2001-=-). Organized and focused group discussions provide a context forsparticipants to articulate the meaning of their experiences and elaborate on them in ascollective sensemaking process. Of course, focus...

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...cant innovations (Leadbeater & Miller, 2004). Within consumer research,sas well, interest has grown in the role of consumers as initiators, drivers, and shapers ofsinnovation (Firat & Dholakia, 1998; =-=Wikström, 1996-=-).sApart from consumer protection, consumer policy is today also targeted atsconsumer involvement in technology assessment and product innovation. An EU studyson how public policy could improve custom...

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...s conclusions. Taking a measured stand on thespersonal and social impacts of new technologies requires deliberation (i.e., a criticalsexamination of the arguments and experiences underlying opinions; =-=Hamlett, 2003-=-), andsgroup interaction in open-ended focus group discussions seems to be a useful way tospromote such deliberation.sMultivocalitysApart from participating in our focus group discussions, there are o...

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...s to surveysquestionnaires (Heiskanen, 2005; Timonen, 2002). Focus groups thus highlight laysexperience, rather than laypeople’s ignorance, and can thus make a positive contributionsto policy making (=-=Cunningham-Burely, Kerr, & Pavis, 2001-=-).sThe fact that participants have an active role in the research process does not ofscourse mean that everything can be left up to the participants, or that everything saidsshould be taken at face va...

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...nded, unstructured participation has largely evolved through our experience andsinvolvement in participatory technology assessment (e.g., Bruun & Heiskanen, 2005;sHeiskanen, Kasanen, & Timonen, 2005; =-=Schot, 2001-=-). From this perspective,sparticipation requires some sort of focus, and promoting multivocality requires somesactive input from researchers. Until they are engaged in a research process, people maysn...

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...s to pose questions to each other and to redefinestheir own views as the discussion evolves.sThere is also a lively debate on whether or not focus groups are participatory andsempowering (Chiu, 2003; =-=Waterton & Wynne, 2001-=-; Wilkinson, 2001). Even thoughsfocus groups as such are not action research, they are a form of data collection that allowssparticipants more latitude than other comparable methods (Kitzinger & Barbo...

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... policy expands intosnew fields, such as innovation policy, new approaches are needed. One of the issues issconsumer participation in technology assessment and development (e.g., Joss & Durant,s1995; =-=Klüver et al., 2000-=-). Here, being a member of a group and a community can helpsconsumers to make their voices heard, to form opinions, and to make judgments.sDeliberation through InteractionsScholars have stressed the i...

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... term “focus group interviews.” The choice of term reflects oursemphasis on the active role of consumers as knowledge-producers, and the importance ofsgroup interaction in creating new knowledge (see =-=Boddy, 2005-=-, for a discussion on thesdifferences between these terms). By focus group discussions, we refer to a group of 4-12speople brought together to participate in the discussion of an area of interest. Tra...

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...oth public participation and qualitative research. Yet we are not alone in this issue;sother researchers are grappling with similar topics in different contexts (Guba & Lincoln,s1998; Hamilton, 1998; =-=Jones, 2004-=-; Kemmis & McTaggert, 2000). We hope that thiss169sThe Qualitative Report June 2008sarticle also inspires more reflection and analysis of participation, representation, andsempowerment also in the con...

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...with complexstopics, participants can pool their prior knowledge and experience. Thus, the viewpointssgained are more well-thought-out than, for example, immediate responses to surveysquestionnaires (=-=Heiskanen, 2005-=-; Timonen, 2002). Focus groups thus highlight laysexperience, rather than laypeople’s ignorance, and can thus make a positive contributionsto policy making (Cunningham-Burely, Kerr, & Pavis, 2001).sTh...

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...search (e.g., Barbour & Kitzinger, 2001;sGibbs, 1997). They are also increasingly used for practical purposes such as evaluations(Patton, 1990), user participation in product and service development (=-=Kuhn, 2000-=-;sNielsen, 1993; van Kleef, van Trijp, & Luning, 2005), and community improvement andsempowerment (Clark et al., 2003; Lefèvre, de Suremain, de Celis, & Sejas, 2004; Suter,s2000). Focus groups have th...

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...he organizer has gained attention only recently, assresearchers have started to study what actually happens during participatory forums, andshow participation is promoted or obstructed by organizers (=-=Genus & Coles, 2005-=-; Rowes& Frewer, 2004).sThis conscious role of the researchers has its pros and its cons. The two casesspresented here raise one important issue in this context: the research agenda andsdiscussion the...

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...pinions, and to make judgments.sDeliberation through InteractionsScholars have stressed the importance of bringing lay perspectives into debates onsthe social impacts of science and technology (e.g., =-=Nowotny, 2003-=-; Stilgoe, Irwin, &sJones, 2006). Yet lay people (including consumers) may find it difficult to participate inssuch debates, and surveys of the public understanding of science and technology do notsal...

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... such as evaluations(Patton, 1990), user participation in product and service development (Kuhn, 2000;sNielsen, 1993; van Kleef, van Trijp, & Luning, 2005), and community improvement andsempowerment (=-=Clark et al., 2003-=-; Lefèvre, de Suremain, de Celis, & Sejas, 2004; Suter,s2000). Focus groups have thus traversed a variety of disciplines and application contexts;sat the same time, becoming more than merely a data co...

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...he “innovation chain.”sIt is in this context that the consumer becomes important. One target in innovation policyshas been to create new ways to achieve greater public involvement in decision-makings(=-=EC, 2002-=-; Hagendijk & Kallerud, 2003). Consumer participation is needed at earlysstages of the innovation process. For example the UK government has emphasized thesneed to involve consumer bodies more in poli...

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...retically-informed analysis and openended, unstructured participation has largely evolved through our experience andsinvolvement in participatory technology assessment (e.g., Bruun & Heiskanen, 2005;s=-=Heiskanen, Kasanen, & Timonen, 2005-=-; Schot, 2001). From this perspective,sparticipation requires some sort of focus, and promoting multivocality requires somesactive input from researchers. Until they are engaged in a research process,...

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...ssof safety incidents and juxtaposing them with the findings pertaining to their attitudes andsknowledge levels.sThe results of the focus group study were reported in the publication series ofsTUKES (=-=Saastamoinen, 2000-=-). The findings were also used, later on, to construct assurvey questionnaire. Here, the results of the focus group discussions were helpful inslimiting the questions to the most relevant product grou...

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...r policy is today also targeted atsconsumer involvement in technology assessment and product innovation. An EU studyson how public policy could improve customer involvement in the innovation processs(=-=Ballantine, Devonald, & Meads, 2003-=-) indicated that companies view consumers as thesmost important single driver of innovation. Companies considered that most influentialsobstacles to innovation were consumers’ uncertainties about safe...

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...ce between external, theoretically-informed analysis and openended, unstructured participation has largely evolved through our experience andsinvolvement in participatory technology assessment (e.g., =-=Bruun & Heiskanen, 2005-=-;sHeiskanen, Kasanen, & Timonen, 2005; Schot, 2001). From this perspective,sparticipation requires some sort of focus, and promoting multivocality requires somesactive input from researchers. Until th...

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...onsumers bys153sThe Qualitative Report June 2008simproving consumer education to create “demanding customers.” However, at the samestime most academic and policy experts interviewed for this purpose (=-=Bush, 2004-=-)scomplained that, in fact, consumer bodies had not been linked in the innovation processsin any meaningful way. There is a clear need to take consumer concerns into accountsmore seriously and anticip...

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...different types of research. When the first panel memberssHeiskanen, Katja Järvelä, Annukka Pulliainen, Mika Saastamoinen, and Päivi Timonen 156swere asked about their expectations in autumn of 1995 (=-=Isoniemi, 1996-=-), the responsesrate was more then 99%, and the panel members’ hopes were high. The panel was viewedsas an opportunity to take a stand on consumer issues of their interest, and it was also seensas a d...

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... be communicated to consumers. The study was conducted in co-operation withsthe Association of Packaging Technology and Research (PTR), and its results werespublished in the report series of the PTR (=-=Järvelä, 2004-=-). The idea for this studysoriginated in an expert group on user needs and attitudes convened within an innovationsprogramme called “Safety and Information in Packaging,” hosted by the NationalsTechno...

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...rkets to become more competitive (Inglehart, 1997; Pine & Gilmore, 1999; Porter,s1990). Moreover, consumers have been recognized as a source of many economically andssocially significant innovations (=-=Leadbeater & Miller, 2004-=-). Within consumer research,sas well, interest has grown in the role of consumers as initiators, drivers, and shapers ofsinnovation (Firat & Dholakia, 1998; Wikström, 1996).sApart from consumer protec...

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...rest. Trainedsmoderators run the discussions, and records are made of the course of the discussions.sFocus groups, of course, are a popular (some even think too popular) method insmarketing research (=-=Nancarrow, Vir, & Barker, 2005-=-), but they have had a role in seriousssocial science research since the seminal work of R. K. Merton and P. Lazarsfelds(Hollander, 2004; Morgan, 1988). During the past decades, they have established ...

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...s an opportunity to take a stand on consumer issues of their interest, and it was also seensas a direct channel toward other market actors such as the retail trade and manufacturers.sThe next survey (=-=Pulliainen, 2005-=-) also revealed similar expectations about participationsand making a difference; eight members out of ten mentioned these reasons as the mostsimportant ones to participate in the panel. Learning abou...

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...s group discussions provide information on people’s experiences,sopinions, desires and concerns, as well as on how people form such opinion and whatsmeanings they link to the topic under discussion” (=-=Saastamoinen, 1999-=-, p. 1). The plansalso emphasized that focus group discussions allow researchers closer access to “concretessituations in which consumers use technical appliances, and in which hazards andspotential a...

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... June 2008sdiscussions taught them not to take anything for granted. The results of the study alsosprovided new perspectives for the TUKES experts’ presentations, comments, articles, andsnewsletters (=-=TUKES, 2007-=-). The study findings provided valuable input for designingsand targeting safety communications to consumers.sDiscussionsDuring a short period of time, the NCRC has accumulated a range of experiencess...