Back to the (Visualization) Laboratory: Using Focus Groups to Generate Qualitative and Quantitative Results

This article introduces the immersive focus group as a mixed-methods approach in planning research. Using the immersive focus group we generate genuine knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative data about the diverse and nuanced perceptions of forest landscapes in order to then extract planning decisions. The article elaborates on the deployment of focus groups in a particular venue: the immersive theater laboratory. In doing so, we hope to position the immersive focus group as a viable tool for planning research. We conclude with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach and its potential further development.