Usability Testing of the Web Version of the Microbusiness Innovation Science and Technology Survey

MIST Usability Testing Recruitment Script

Summer 2014

Microbusiness Name:

Address:

City and State:

Contact Person (if known):

Phone number:

E-mail address or web site (if known):

Hello, my name is [RECRUITER NAME]. I am calling from Westat for the National Science Foundation. May I please speak to ____________________________? The NSF is currently planning a study of small companies. The study is called the Microbusiness Innovation Science and Technology Study or MIST and will be an online survey. NSF has partnered with Westat to develop, test, and administer the survey. If your company is eligible, we would like to invite you to participate in a test of our web-administered survey.

If respondent is unfamiliar with NSF: [as needed: NSF is an independent government agency established to provide funding for basic research within the United States. Within NSF, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics is responsible for collecting data on U.S. science and engineering activities].

I would like to ask you just a couple of questions to see if your company is eligible to participate.

1. Did your company have any revenues or grants in 2013?

□ YES □ NO [IF NO, NOT ELIGIBLE. OTHERWISE, CONTINUE.]

2. Did another company own more than 50 percent of your company at any time during 2013?

□ YES □ NO [IF YES, NOT ELIGIBLE. OTHERWISE, CONTINUE.]

3. As of the last pay period, how many people worked for your company? Include both full-time and part-time workers as well as yourself.

___________Enter Number of Employees [IF 10 or MORE, NOT ELIGIBLE. OTHERWISE, CONTINUE TO Q4.]

IF NOT ELIGIBLE, SAY: I’m sorry; your company is not eligible to participate in the testing. Thank you for your time. END

IF ELIGIBLE, CONTINUE:

Thank you for taking time to answer our questions. Your company is eligible to participate in the usability testing.

Please note: Your participation in this is completely voluntary; this is not an official data collection; and you or your company will not be named in any NSF reports.

4. Would you be willing to help us with testing a web version of the Microbusiness survey? As our way of thanking you for your help, we will offer an honorarium of [$40]. The interview should take roughly 45-60 minutes to complete and it will include completing the survey online and answering some follow up questions.

□ YES □ NO

IF ‘NO’, THEN SAY: Thank you for your time. END

IF ‘YES’, CONTINUE

Great! May I have your email address?

VERIFY ALL CONTACT INFORMATION LISTED ON THE CALL RECORD AND MAKE CORRECTIONS AS NEEDED

IF LOCAL:

We would like to come to your business to watch as you complete your questionnaire on your own computer, and then ask you some questions about your experience. [Schedule a time and confirm the location is the same as the business address.]

IF NOT LOCAL:

We would like to arrange a time when you can log into the web survey while we observe your work from a separate computer, and then ask you some questions about your experience over the telephone. [Schedule a time]

We will be using a program called WebEx for this online observation session. You’ll receive a meeting invitation by email with a link and instructions on how to enter the meeting. You will not need to download any software to your computer to participate in the WebEx session.

Thank you very much for agreeing to participate. We look forward to your feedback.

If you have any questions, you can contact me at:

[State your name again, phone number, and e-mail address.]

[If applicable] I will send you an e-mail confirming the date and time of our appointment.

Again, thank you very much for your time and for agreeing to participate in this research. We will see you (or talk to you) on [insert date, time, and location].

MIST Usability Testing Recruitment Script Page 2