Guide

Form Approved

OMB No. 0990-0379

Exp. Date 09/30/2020

OWH: Womenshealth.gov Usability Research

In-Depth Interview with End-Users

Discussion guide

Key Question Areas:

• Resources used for health information

• Brand awareness of OWH/womenshealth.gov

• Reactions to design page

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Usability description/ground rules (standard intro)

1. Purpose of research: talking about the resources and websites you use to find health information/get your questions answered. We’ll also be taking a look at some websites and designs today to help understand what’s working well and what can be improved about these sites. Please be assured we are not looking for any personal health information, and if there is something you don’t feel comfortable talking about, let me know and we’ll skip it.

2. Independent researcher and not vested in your feedback

3. No right or wrong answers

2. Participant intro

1. Tell me a little bit about yourself: where you live [remote]/how long in the area [in-person], work, family/household

2. Health Resources and Brand Awareness/Impressions of Womenshealth.gov (5-10 minutes)

1. When you’re looking for health information for yourself, where do you go? What resources do you use?

   1. What about when you are looking for an answer to a question? When you want information about a particular topic? What about when you need to find a healthcare provider or health center?

   2. PROBE AS NECESSARY ON:

      1. Friends/family (word-of-mouth)

      2. Doctor/healthcare provider

      3. Internet/websites

      4. Do you use different sources for different things? When do you use one over the other?

2. Thinking of the websites or online resources you use for health information, what specific sites come to mind? Do you have favorites, or do you just Google things?

   1. How do you know what to trust online? Are some sites more reliable than others?

   2. Have you ever taken an action (e.g., taken medication, made an appointment) based on information you found online? IF YES PROBE FOR EXAMPLE

   3. Do you ever need to talk to someone/verify health information you find online? Tell me about that.

3. How do you tend to access these types of sites?

   1. On your phone or tablet? On a computer? Does it depend?

4. What about womenshealth.gov, the website for the Office on Women’s Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

   1. Have you heard of this site before?

      1. IF YES: What are your impressions?

      2. What do you know about womenshealth.gov?

      3. What types of information do they offer? Why would someone visit the site?

   2. Have you ever been to the site?

      1. IF YES: What were you looking for?

      2. What was your experience like?

      3. Did you find the information you needed?

3. Test Designs: Free-Form Exploration and Guided Feedback

READ: We’re going to spend the rest of our time today looking at some web designs for womenshealth.gov. What I have to show you is a test version of the homepage: it is not final, but a mock-up for our research. You will not be able to click around on the homepage, but it will give you a good idea of what the site offers. Our goal is to evaluate the site so we can provide the Office on Women’s Health with feedback on anything they might need to improve moving forward.

3 VERSIONS: MOBILE DESIGN, DESKTOP DESIGN, AND DESKTOP WITH EXPANDED MENU

HALF TO START WITH DESKTOP, SPLIT BETWEEN TWO VERSIONS

HALF TO START WITH MOBILE

ASK ALL FOLLOW-UPS OF FIRST DESIGN SHOWN

Free Form

1. To start, I’d like you to spend a few minutes exploring around the homepage. I want you to look at the things you typically look at when you are visiting a similar type of site.

The one difference is I’d like you to think out loud as you are going through. Tell me things like what stands out to you, what you are interested in and what you might click on. I also want to know what you dislike along the way, and what, if anything, is confusing or unclear.

[OBSERVE RESPONDENT WITHOUT INTERRUPTING WHILE THEY LOOK AROUND]

Aided Discussion: Overall Feedback

2. Initial reactions: First, just taking a step back, how would you describe womenshealth.gov based on their website—meaning who they are and what they do? [FOLLOW-UP: What about the site is giving you those impressions?]

3. What are your overall impressions of the homepage?

   1. What stands out to you in a positive way? What stands out in a negative way?

   2. How does this compare to other health sites you might visit?

   3. How trustworthy does this site seem? What makes you feel that way?

   4. AS APPROPRIATE BASED ON PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH WOMENSHEALTH.GOV, PER II-D: Does this change your impressions of womenshealth.gov or OWH in any way?

      1. IF YES: How so?

4. What do you think of:

   1. The overall look and feel?

      1. What do you think of the different images that are being used?

      2. What do they tell you about this website?

      3. Does it seem like the right amount? Too many? Not enough?

   2. [USABILITY] How easy/difficult it is to find the things that interest you?

      1. What makes you feel like it would be [easy/difficult]?

      2. What features on the website would you use to look for what you need? LISTEN TO SEE IF THEY WOULD USE UPPER NAVIGATION MENU, SEARCH, POPULAR TOPICS, A-Z HEALTH TOPICS BUTTON, ETC.

      3. What do you think about the menu at the top? Would you use it to move around?

      4. [ASK AS APPROPRIATE WHEN THEY GET TO MEGA MENU DESKTOP VERSION]: What do you think about seeing the exposed menu like this when you are on the page? Is it helpful/distracting? What makes you feel that way?

3. [CONTENT] How helpful is the site? How interested are you in the information it offers?

5. Overall engagement:

   1. If you came to this site on your own, would you stay, or would you click away?

   2. What makes you say that?

   3. IF WOULD STAY:

      1. What is drawing you in?

      2. Where do you think you would go from here?

   4. IF WOULD LEAVE:

      1. What is making you feel like you would leave? What is the site missing, or not doing to help you?

Aided Discussion: Drill Down

6. Specific Probes:

   1. Search Bar:

      1. What do you think of where the search bar is located?

      2. Did you see right away?

      3. Would you use it?

      4. What do you think about the button to see all A-Z Health Topics? Would you use it?

   2. Popular Health Topics:

      1. There are a few topics listed under “Popular health topics”; what do you think of these?

      2. Are they relevant to you?

      3. What do you think of the images being used with them?

      4. What do you think about the questions listed under the topics? Are they useful?

      5. What does this section tell you about the site?

      6. What does it tell you about the site’s purpose, and who it is for?

      7. FOR MOBILE ONLY: What do you think about the button to see more popular health topics? Would you use it?

   3. Women’s Health Blog:

      1. What is your reaction to the blog?

      2. Would you read this?

   4. OWH Helpline:

      1. Did you notice the helpline?

      2. What do you think it’s for?

      3. Would you use something like this?

      4. What do you think about where it is located on the site?

   5. Social Media Links

      1. Would you use these? Why/why not?

   6. Other information:

      1. What do you think about the “tools”? Is that of interest? Does it catch your attention? Would you use something like this? Why/why not? What else would you expect to find?

      2. Would you expect to see a tool to help you locate a health center near you?

      3. If the site had a tool to locate a health center near you, would you want to see it on the homepage or near a specific health topic?

      4. What do you think of the illustration (not the real pictures)?

7. PROBES FOR 2^ND AND 3^RD DESIGNS SHOWN

   1. Now, let’s look at what this would look like on the computer/mobile [DEPENDENT UPON 1^ST DESIGN SHOWN]. Take some time to review the page and let me know if you are having any different reactions.

   2. What do you think about the overall look and feel?

   3. The layout/ease of use? How would you navigate?

      1. DESKTOP SPECIFIC: What do you think about the different ways the menu is being displayed in these two version? Do you have a preference? Does one feel easier/harder than the other? Is one more or less appealing than the other?

   4. Is there anything you think the mobile site does better?

   5. Is there anything you think the desktop version does better?

   6. Are you getting any different impressions of womenshealth.gov or OWH based on this version?

4. Current Site: Point of Comparison [AS TIME ALLOWS] [ON MOBILE DEVICE]

READ: Now I’d like you to take a look at what womenshealth.gov looks like today. This is the live version of the site, but I’d like you to only focus on the homepage—don’t click further into the site. Take some time to look around and think out loud for me as you go. Tell me anything that stands out to you in either a positive or a negative way. If there is something that you want to click on, tell me that, but keep going versus clicking into the page.

1. What are your overall reactions? [WANT TO GET UNAIDED GUT REACTION]

2. What do you like?

3. What do you dislike?

4. Which version of the website draws you in more, and would make you want to stay and seek out information? What makes you say that?

5. Which version feels easier to use/get around?

6. Is there anything you think this version of the site does really well, that the first version is missing?

7. Do you get a different feeling about womenshealth.gov and OWH based on this website?

   1. IF YES: Tell me about that.

5. Wrap up (5 minutes)

1. Overall, how are you feeling about womenshealth.gov?

   1. What do you think is the best thing about the NEW design?

   2. What do you think needs the most improvement?

2. Would you recommend this site to a friend or family member? Why or why not?

3. Any additional comments?

COLLECT FEEDBACK FROM OBSERVERS AND WRAP INTERVIEW

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0990-0459. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, to review and complete the information collection. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OS/OCIO/PRA, 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Suite 336-E, Washington D.C. 20201, Attention: PRA Reports Clearance Officer