How to analyze focus group data with ATLAS.ti

Who this article is for

This article is for researchers, students, instructors, and qualitative analysts who want to organize, code, compare, and analyze focus group discussions using ATLAS.ti Web or ATLAS.ti Desktop.

What is a focus group?

A focus group is a research method in which multiple participants discuss a topic, idea, experience, product, service, or research question.

A focus group usually includes:

• a moderator or interviewer
• multiple participants
• a guided discussion based on prepared questions or prompts

Focus groups are often used for:

• market research
• needs assessment
• program evaluation
• product or service feedback
• theoretical development
• exploring shared experiences
• understanding group dynamics

Unlike one-to-one interviews, focus groups allow researchers to examine how ideas develop in conversation, how participants respond to one another, and where participants agree or disagree.

What is focus group analysis?

Focus group analysis is the process of examining focus group discussions to identify patterns, themes, opinions, experiences, and relationships within the data.

In ATLAS.ti, focus group analysis may involve:

• importing transcripts
• identifying speakers
• coding participant contributions
• creating thematic codes
• adding participant or session information
• comparing participants or groups
• reviewing quotations
• analyzing code patterns
• generating reports

ATLAS.ti Desktop includes a dedicated Focus Group Coding feature. ATLAS.ti Web does not include this feature, but Web users can still analyze focus group transcripts manually using standard coding and analysis tools.

Step 1: Prepare your focus group transcript

Before importing your transcript, make sure each speaker has a unique identifier and that the identifier is used consistently throughout the transcript.

ATLAS.ti Desktop can recognize two default speaker patterns:

• name:
• @name:

If your data has not been transcribed yet, using the @name: pattern is recommended because it is less likely to detect non-speaker text by mistake. The basic requirement for Focus Group Coding is consistent speaker identification throughout the transcript.

• Example using name:

• Example using @name:

You can also include additional speaker information in the transcript, such as gender, age group, education level, role, or department.

• Example:

For best results:

• use a consistent speaker format throughout the transcript
• identify the moderator separately from participants
• avoid changing speaker labels within the same transcript
• use one speaker label per speaker
• remove unnecessary formatting before importing
• consider starting each speaker unit on a new line for readability

This preparation is especially important if you plan to use Focus Group Coding in ATLAS.ti Desktop.

Step 2: Import the focus group transcript

• In ATLAS.ti Web

1. Open your project.
2. Click Add Document.
3. Select the transcript file.
4. Complete the import process.

Common formats for focus group transcripts in ATLAS.ti Web include:

• Word documents
• PDF documents

If your focus group data is stored in a spreadsheet, you can use CSV format. This can be helpful when each row represents a response, participant, or structured data entry.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows

1. Open the Document Manager.
2. Click New.
3. Select the type of document you want to add.
4. Choose the appropriate file or option.
5. Complete the import process.

• In ATLAS.ti Mac

1. Open the Document Manager.
2. Click the + (New) button.
3. Select Add Document.
4. Choose the file you want to import.
5. Complete the import process.

For Focus Group Coding in ATLAS.ti Desktop, use a text document format such as .doc, .docx, or .txt. Focus Group Coding cannot be used with PDF documents.

Step 3: Organize participant information

Focus group analysis often involves comparing participant perspectives or comparing focus group sessions.

Examples include:

• managers versus employees
• experienced versus new participants
• different age groups
• different departments
• different locations
• different focus group sessions

Participant information is not a separate analysis tool. Instead, you can store it in your project and then use ATLAS.ti tools such as the Quotation Manager, Code-Document Table, filters, and reports to compare findings across groups.

Option 1: Use document comments

Document comments are a simple way to store background information about a transcript, participant, or focus group session.

Examples of information you may add:

• focus group date
• location
• participant role
• department
• age group
• moderator notes
• context about the session

• In ATLAS.ti Web

1. Open the Document Manager.
2. Select the document.
3. Click Details.
4. Add participant or session information in the comment field.

You can also open the document, click the three dots menu, and add a comment from the document view.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows

1. Open the Document Manager.
2. Right-click the document.
3. Select Edit Comment.
4. Enter participant or session information.
5. Save your changes.

• In ATLAS.ti Mac

1. Open the Document Manager.
2. Right-click the document.
3. Select Edit Comment.
4. Enter participant or session information.
5. Save your changes.

Option 2: Use memos linked to documents

Memos are useful for longer participant profiles, session summaries, or analytic notes.

Linked memos are available in ATLAS.ti Desktop. In ATLAS.ti Web, memos can be used for project notes, but linking memos directly to documents is not available in the same way.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows and Mac

1. Create a new memo and give it a descriptive title (for example, “Participant 01 – Background”).
2. Enter the participant’s metadata in the memo.
3. Link the memo to the corresponding participant document(s) (e.g., their interview transcript) by dragging and dropping: Drag the memo from the left-side panel to a document in the left-side panel, or a document in the Document Manager.

Step 4: Create thematic codes

Before or after identifying speaker contributions, begin coding the content of the focus group discussion.

• In ATLAS.ti Web

1. Open the focus group transcript.
2. Highlight a relevant section of text.
3. Create a quotation.
4. Apply an existing code or create a new code.
5. Continue coding throughout the transcript.

You can also use available analysis tools to explore concepts and recurring ideas.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows and Mac

1. Open the focus group transcript.
2. Highlight a relevant section of text.
3. Apply an existing code or create a new code.
4. Continue coding throughout the transcript.

If you use Focus Group Coding, keep speaker codes separate from thematic codes. Speaker codes identify who is speaking; thematic codes identify what is being discussed.

Step 5: Use Focus Group Coding in ATLAS.ti Desktop

Focus Group Coding is available in ATLAS.ti Desktop only.

This feature can automatically code speaker units in a focus group transcript when the transcript uses consistent speaker identifiers. ATLAS.ti Web does not currently support Focus Group Coding. Web users can still analyze focus group transcripts using manual coding and available text-based analysis tools.

The Windows and Mac manuals recommend reviewing the results after coding. The manuals also note that speaker coding can result in dense coding, so some researchers may prefer to code the transcript for content first and then run Focus Group Coding afterward.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows

1. Open the Document Manager.
2. Select a focus group transcript.
3. In the Documents ribbon, select Analyse > Focus Group Coding.

Alternative option:

1. Right-click the document in the Project Explorer.
2. Select Analysis > Focus Group Coding.

Then continue with the coding setup:

1. Select the pattern for recognizing speaker units.
2. Click Next.
3. Review the list of detected speaker strings.
4. Deselect any items that are not speakers.
5. Check the suggested codes.
6. Modify code names if needed.
7. Add additional codes if you want to code speaker units with more than one code.
8. Click Code.
9. Review the summary screen.
10. Double-check the results in context and review the new codes in the Code Manager.

• In ATLAS.ti Mac

1. Select a focus group transcript in the Project Explorer or Document Manager.
2. From the main menu, select Code > Focus Group Coding.

Alternative option:

1. Right-click the document.
2. Select Analysis > Focus Group Coding.

Then continue with the coding setup:

1. Select the pattern for recognizing speaker units.
2. Click Continue.
3. Review the list of detected speaker strings.
4. Deselect any items that are not speakers.
5. Check the suggested codes.
6. Modify code names if needed.
7. Add additional codes if you want to code speaker units with more than one code.
8. Click Code.
9. Review the summary screen.
10. Double-check the results in context and review the new codes in the Code Manager.

ATLAS.ti also creates a code group from the generated speaker codes. If the results are not what you expected, you can undo the coding at this stage.

Step 6: Analyze patterns and relationships

After coding, use analysis tools to compare focus group responses and identify patterns.

Use the Code Manager

The Code Manager helps you review, rename, merge, organize, and document codes.

• In ATLAS.ti Web

1. Open the Code Manager.
2. Review your speaker, participant, and thematic codes.
3. Rename, merge, or organize codes as needed.
4. Add code comments to document definitions.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows and Mac

1. Open the Code Manager.
2. Review code frequencies.
3. Rename, merge, or organize codes as needed.
4. Add code comments to document definitions.

Use the Code-Document Table

The Code-Document Table helps compare how codes appear across documents or document groups. It is available in ATLAS.ti Web, Windows, and Mac.

Use it to answer questions such as:

• Which themes appear most often?
• Which focus group discussed a topic most frequently?
• How do themes differ across sessions or participant groups?
• In ATLAS.ti Web

1. Click Views.
2. Select + New View.
3. Choose Code Document Table.
4. Select the codes or code groups you want to compare.
5. Select the documents or document groups you want to include.
6. Name and save the view.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows

1. Open the Analyze tab.
2. Select Code Document Analysis.
3. Select the codes or code groups you want to compare.
4. Select the documents or document groups you want to include.
5. Review the resulting table.

• In ATLAS.ti Mac

1. Open Analysis > Code-Document Analysis.
2. Select the codes or code groups you want to compare.
3. Select the documents or document groups you want to include.
4. Review the resulting table.

You can click a table cell to inspect the quotations behind a specific code-document intersection. This helps you move from frequency patterns back to the original qualitative evidence.

Use the Code Co-occurrence Table

The Code Co-occurrence Table helps identify where codes overlap or appear together. It is available in ATLAS.ti Web, Windows, and Mac.

Use it to explore relationships such as:

• Communication Issues + Leadership
• Training Needs + Job Satisfaction
• Collaboration + Team Performance
• Moderator Prompt + Participant Response

• In ATLAS.ti Web

1. Click Views.
2. Select + New View.
3. Choose Code Co-Occurrence.
4. Select the codes you want to compare.
5. Review where codes appear together.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows

1. Open the Analyze tab.
2. Select Co-Occurrence Analysis.
3. Select the codes you want to compare.
4. Review the co-occurrence results.

• In ATLAS.ti Mac

1. Open Analysis > Code Co-occurrence Table.
2. Select the codes you want to compare.
3. Review the co-occurrence results.

Always review the quotations behind co-occurrences before interpreting the relationship. Co-occurrence shows that codes appear together; it does not automatically explain why they are related.

Use Networks in ATLAS.ti Desktop

Networks help visualize relationships between codes, quotations, documents, memos, and findings.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows and Mac

1. Open or create a network.
2. Add relevant codes, quotations, documents, and memos.
3. Link related items to show relationships.
4. Use the network to support interpretation.

Step 7: Develop themes

As coding progresses, group related codes into broader themes.

Themes help researchers move from descriptive coding toward interpretation.

When developing themes:

• compare participant responses
• examine agreement and disagreement
• review minority viewpoints
• use memos to document interpretation
• revisit the original transcript for context

Step 8: Generate reports

Reports help you review, share, and document findings.

• In ATLAS.ti Web

You can export findings from entity managers as Excel reports.

1. Open the relevant manager, such as the Code Manager or Quotation Manager.
2. Apply filters if needed.
3. Click the down arrow
4. Save the .xlsx file.

Reports can help you review coded quotations, codes, comments, and document information.

• In ATLAS.ti Windows and Mac

1. Open the relevant manager, such as the Code Manager, Quotation Manager, or Document Manager.
2. Select the items you want to include.
3. Use the Export option.
4. Choose the report type or spreadsheet option.
5. Select what to include.
6. Save the report.

Consider including:

• quotations
• speaker codes
• thematic codes
• quotation comments
• code comments
• memos
• document information
• participant or session comparisons

Tips for analyzing focus group data

• Use clear and consistent participant identifiers throughout the transcript.
• Use the @name: pattern when preparing new transcripts for Focus Group Coding.
• Review automatically generated speaker codes before continuing analysis.
• Keep participant or speaker codes separate from thematic codes.
• Use memos to capture analytic insights during coding.
• Compare both agreement and disagreement among participants.
• Examine minority viewpoints as well as dominant themes.
• Use Code-Document Tables and Code Co-occurrence Tables to support pattern analysis.
• Generate reports to review and share findings.

Common issues and mistakes

• Using inconsistent speaker labels
  • Focus Group Coding works best when speaker identifiers are consistent throughout the transcript.
• Using a PDF for Focus Group Coding
  • Focus Group Coding in ATLAS.ti Desktop requires text document formats such as .doc, .docx or .txt. It cannot be used with PDF documents.
• Treating the focus group as a single voice
  • Focus groups contain multiple perspectives and interactions. Analyze both individual contributions and group-level patterns.
• Mixing speaker codes and thematic codes
  • Speaker codes identify who is speaking. Thematic codes identify what is being discussed. Keeping them separate helps maintain a clear coding structure.
• Creating too many overlapping codes
  • Merge similar codes as themes emerge and use code comments to document definitions.
• Ignoring relationships between themes
  • Tools such as Code Co-occurrence Tables and Networks can help reveal meaningful relationships between concepts.
• Relying only on automatic coding
  • Automatic coding can speed up the workflow, but researchers should always review and validate coding results.

When to contact support

Contact ATLAS.ti Support if:

• focus group transcripts cannot be imported
• Focus Group Coding does not detect speakers correctly
• Focus Group Coding produces unexpected results
• participant information cannot be connected or organized correctly
• reports fail to generate
• quotations or codes appear incorrect
• analysis tools behave unexpectedly

When contacting support, include:

• your platform: Web, Windows, or Mac
• your ATLAS.ti version if using Desktop
• screenshots or error messages
• the transcript format
• a short sample of the speaker-label format
• a description of what you expected and what happened instead