Template - SSA Redesigned Home Page

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0960-0788)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Redesigned SSA Home Page (www.socialsecurity.gov) – Electronic Bulletin Board Discussions

SSA SUB-NUMBER: A-02

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY:

Background: A recent American Customer Satisfaction Index survey indicated about 40 percent of Social Security Administration (SSA) website users could not find the information for which they were searching. In response to the survey results, we redesigned the Social Security home page to improve user navigation, accessibility, and overall web experience.

Research Objectives: Our objective is to provide the public with an Internet site that is easy to understand and navigate, and helps users quickly and efficiently find the information and services they are seeking online. For this particular research project, we will elicit input from the public via electronic bulletin boards (EBB). In particular, we wish to:

• determine if users find the redesigned home page allows them to find the services and information they need quickly and easily; and,

• obtain recommendations for making the home page easier to navigate and understand.

Methodology: We are proposing to conduct two EBB discussions. We plan to recruit 14 participants per bulletin board. Similar to focus groups, EBBs are online discussions, typically 20 to 25 individuals (per session), and representative of a given population. EBBs bring together participants to discuss their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes about specific products, programs, or services.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [X] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: __________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Faye Lipsky, Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [X] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [X] Yes, $50 per participant. [ ] No, respondents will not be paid for their participation.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
Individuals	28	90	42
Totals	28	90	42

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal Government is $6,000.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan). If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The participant selection criterion for this research is as follows:

• ages 25-70;

• regular users of the Internet;

• mix of race, ethnicity, and sex/gender;

• not a retired or current SSA employee, State Disability Determination Services employee, contractor or family member of an employee or contractor.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain - Survey Sheet/Questionnaire

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] No

How will we conduct the survey?

We will conduct two electronic bulletin board discussion groups via online.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

USE OF RESULTS:

SSA will use the results of these bulletin boards to assess the level of satisfaction users have with the redesigned homepage, as well as their level of ease finding information and services on the SSA website. Ultimately, these results will enable SSA to determine if the website provides sufficient information, and is optimally presented and organized. The findings will also help SSA improve its online services to the public.

See attached copy of the proposed bulletin board questions, scenarios, and screenshot of the proposed home page

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Debbie Larwood

PHONE NUMBER: 410-966-6135