My wife is a fourth year veterinary student at Colorado State University, and on a recent visit to the veterinary teaching hospital I noticed they had several focus group rooms – sort of.

I recognized the rooms immediately – two-way glass, audio and video recording, etc.  Instead of group discussions though, they use the rooms for communication trainings (for example, watching other doctors and students communicate with clients), or just anytime too many people in the exam room would be a hindrance.

Corona’s focus group facility only uses closed-circuit television to allow client viewing since we have always felt that mirrors can cause an unwanted distraction, especially when you can hear people behind them. At CSU, this has, on rare occasion, been problematic with the occasional noise coming from behind the mirror, though the majority of the time it is hardly an issue.  Most clients readily forget about the mirror (of course, they probably have other things on their minds considering they are there with their sick pet) and the mirrors are covered with blinds when not in use.

Next time we have focus groups in Fort Collins, maybe we’ll have to look into holding them at the vet hospital – but we’ll be sure to remove the examination table first!