FTC Clearance Request for Targeted User Groups

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 3084-0159)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Focus Groups for Targeted User Groups
PURPOSE:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is preparing to redesign and migrate its informational
websites from the Drupal 7 website content management system (CMS) to the new Drupal 8
CMS. The contractor selected for this task, CHIEF, is performing extensive research in order to
map user needs to the new design and build of FTC.gov and consumer education websites. Part
of this research involves holding focus groups with specific website users. These focus groups
will be used to gather users’ general needs and wants from the FTC web properties and how
they do or do not self-identify with the subject matter on the FTC web properties. The groups will
also provide a deeper qualitative understanding of each segment, especially concerning fraud,
e.g., when faced with fraud, fears of fraud, or in their particular job that deals with fraud.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:
Respondents will be recruited individuals based on the following breakdown:
● 1 active duty military or veteran
● 1 person over the age of 65
● 1 small or medium business owner
● 1 person from the media (e.g., investigative journalism)
● 1 person in law enforcement (federal, state or local)
● 1 attorney or other legal professional
● 1 consumer intermediary (e.g., educator, advocate or trainer) who works with
underserved communities
● 3 members of the general public
TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)
[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey
[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group
[X] 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: Christine Noonan Sturm, FTC Website Manager, Office of Public Affairs

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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 [ ] No [X] N/A
Gifts or Payments:
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [X] Yes [ ] No
BURDEN HOURS
Category of Respondent
Individuals or Households
Totals

No. of Respondents
10

Participation Time Burden
2 hours
20 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $5,000___
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?
1 active duty military or veteran
1 person over the age of 65
1 small or medium business owner
1 person from the media (e.g., investigative journalism)
1 person in law enforcement (federal, state or local)
1 attorney or other legal professional
1 consumer intermediary (e.g., educator, advocate or trainer) who works with
underserved communities
● 3 members of the general public
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[ ] Telephone
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[X] In-person
[ ] Mail
[ ] Other, Explain
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] No
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the
request.

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