The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). We will be conducting in-person usability interviews to determine whether proposed content within Statistics in Schools website resonates with users. The content being proposed is intended to make the Statistics in Schools website relevant to its target audience.
In February 2013, a maximum of 18 usability interviews will be conducted under contract. The target of the usability testing is teachers at the K-12 levels. We will be interviewing teachers who are comfortable with computers and the internet. Interviews will be conducted in Accenture office space in the DC metropolitan area.
A recruiting agency will be used to recruit the teachers. The agency has a database of teachers that have been identified as potentially interested in paid testing opportunities. Potential recruits will be called by an agency screener. Screening calls will terminate within the first minute if the recipient of the call indicates they are not interested in the opportunity. Full screening calls will take no more than 5 minutes. The complete screening document is enclosed
Each Test Participant will complete a Pre-session questionnaire designed to gauge his/her familiarity with the Internet. He/she will also sign a consent form that will provide important information regarding disclosure and recording of information from the test.
The Facilitator will make introductions, and then go over the purpose, agenda, and ground rules of the session. With participants’ permission, we plan to record the session with Morae Usability Software to capture video, audio, on-screen activity, and keyboard/mouse input.
During the usability test session the participant will be asked five questions about the homepage and what they would expect to find in each content bucket. They will then be asked to complete four test scenarios in the interactive prototype. The target is for each participant to complete all scenarios in the allotted time. After each scenario the participants will be asked to review the content on the page, and then will be asked questions about whether the content is usable for their classroom.
After the Participant has completed the test scenarios, he/she will be asked to complete a Post-Session Questionnaire (System User Survey). The Facilitator will thank the Participant for participating. There will then be time for any participant questions still outstanding and then the usability test will be complete.
Respondents will be informed that the information they provide is confidential and will be seen only by Contractor and Census Bureau staff involved in the usability study. All results reported will be at a summary level and will not disclose any personal information.
We are requesting a $60 honorarium for participant teachers based on feedback from the Recruiting Agency that in order to recruit the required test participants for a 90-minute session, it is necessary to offer compensation of at least this amount. Moreover, this higher level of compensation will reduce the number of “no-shows” we will incur which could result in driving up the overall cost of our recruiting efforts. Should we be required to operate with the standard $40 honorarium, we anticipate a more costly and less insightful Usability Test.
The Statistics in Schools wireframes, the pre-session questionnaire, the post-session questionnaire, the consent form and the protocol including test scenarios are also enclosed.
On average, we expect the interviews to take 90 minutes. The screening will take at most 5 minutes, with unsuccessful recruiting calls taking on average of 2 minutes. Thus, our estimate of the maximum burden time for this research is 30 hours.
The contact person for questions regarding data collection and statistical aspects of the design of this research is listed below:
Alexandra Figueroa
Center for New Media and Promotions
8H490F
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233
301-763-3491
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | murph031 |
| Last Modified By | demai001 |
| File Modified | 2013-01-02 |
| File Created | 2013-01-02 |