Request re Usability Testing of FTC Consumer Ctr & Complaint Assistant webistes

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 3084-0159)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Feedback sessions for Consumer Center
(consumer.ftc.gov) and Complaint Assistant (ftccomplaintassistant.gov) websites
PURPOSE:
The FTC is seeking feedback on how content on our websites is organized. Consumer Center
(consumer.ftc.gov) is the primary consumer education website managed by the FTC. Complaint
Assistant (ftccomplaintassistant.gov) is the website where consumers submit complaints to the
agency. We seek to conduct two related tests.
First, online participants will be shown 35 consumer topics written on cards, and asked to sort
the cards into categories that make sense to them. Then, participants will name the categories.
We will use participants’ feedback to make improvements to the organization of content on
consumer.ftc.gov, and help inform a new navigation for the site. A screenshot of the first page of
a card sort task accompanies this Request.
Then, we will test the new navigation ideas with participants using online tree tests. Participants
will be presented with brief scenarios or tasks. For example, they will be asked to look for a
certain type of content on a website. Participants will click through a list of categories until they
arrive at the one they think completes their task. We will use participants’ feedback to make
improvements to the navigation and design of consumer.ftc.gov and ftccomplaintassistant.gov. A
screenshot of the first page of a tree test task accompanies this Request.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:
We will conduct the tests with up to 135 participants, who represent a diverse mix of
demographics.
TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)
[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form
[X ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software)
[ ] Focus Group

[ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey
[ ] Small Discussion 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.

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Name: Loretta Kuo
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
Participants recruited through Optimal Workshop’s participant recruitment service are
reimbursed through their system. Optimal Workshop estimates a cost of $10-$13 for each
completed response.
BURDEN HOURS
Category of Respondent
Individuals – consumer.ftc.gov

No. of
Participation
Respondents Time
75
20 minutes

Individuals – ftccomplaintassistant.gov

60

Totals

135

20 minutes

Burden
25
hours
20
hours
45
hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $1,962.
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?
[ ] Yes [ X ] 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.
Consumer education content and the complaint website are meant for any adult to use, so our
potential target audience is very broad. Potential candidates will be unpaid volunteers from
government listservs. For certain rounds of online testing, we will use Optimal Workshop’s
participant recruitment service. We will recruit a diverse mix of respondents.

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The sessions will not save personally identifiable information, and responses will be stored
anonymously.
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
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X ] No
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the
request.

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