HHS Website Usability

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

B-1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods

Each survey will have a desired quota of respondents, up to but no more than 120, based on the Web site being studied. Responses to the screening questions will determine when to stop the survey or to not administer the survey to that type of respondent. When the desired number of respondents is obtained, further surveys will not be administered and the survey will be removed from the site.

There are many possible respondent types, including the general public, public health professionals, and healthcare professionals. Participants will be invited to participate through a message or link on the subject HHS Web page.

The survey will be presented randomly as a screen pop-up. We estimate that approximately 20% of the total number of participants presented with the pop-up will participate in the survey. This figure is based on a review of literature regarding web-based surveys and the previous results of similar surveys distributed by customer survey professionals and web survey vendors. By extension, we expect we will need to present the pop-up to approximately 600 web site visitors to achieve the maximum 120 respondents.

The survey will be provided to all participants via one or more of the methods described in Section A-3 of this document, Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction. Respondents will fill out the survey by clicking on the appropriate response or entering text for each question. The answer will automatically be stored electronically, apart from any personal identifiers.

The data collected will be stratified in different ways during the analysis. Survey data will be examined by profession, frequency of Web usage, information needed, usage of information and experience on the Web site while performing tasks. Profession or role (eg., public health professional, practicing physician, mother, care-giver, or student) is one of the primary ways survey data will be stratified since HHS’s Web site has multiple target audiences, each with different goals, wants, needs, and preferences. There will be additional ways of stratifying the data in an individual survey, based on the Web site’s specific target audiences and overall goals.

B-2. Procedures for the Collection of Information

Responses will be collected automatically by the survey software. Remote surveys will be conducted at the user’s computer and cannot be used to identify users as described in A-10.

B-3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal with Non-response

The usability surveys will be designed to minimize respondent burden. The survey will be logical, united in scope, easy to read, and relatively quick to complete. The surveys are Web-based, which will allow for a visually appealing layout and remote surveying (in which participants take the survey from their own computer.)

The purpose of the web-based survey is to obtain feedback so each Web page or site can be judged to determine how to improve information presentation and dissemination. Therefore, we do not always require a high response rate to obtain useful information. Sampling size will vary depending on the Web site in question and the scope of the usability survey. The lowest sampling size necessary to glean useful data will be used, and no static page will have more than 120 respondents. Certain pages that are evolving or continuously changing (i.e., our home pages) may be surveyed continually to measure the effectiveness of change or impact of the content.

B-4. Tests of Procedures or Methods to be Undertaken

We will perform technical testing to ensure technical quality, ease of use, and proper collection of data for survey methods at HHS. Principles of user research were used in creating the survey questions. HHS web experts have reviewed the proposed survey questions. Additionally, all survey questions in this package have been used in previous surveys at HHS or are standard usability questions utilized by web professionals

B-5. Individuals Consulted on Statistical Aspects and Individuals Collecting and/or Analyzing Data

We anticipate the data to be straightforward and not require complex analysis techniques. Each program will obtain input from in-house staff or vendors who are skilled in survey methodology and information systems technology. Data collection and analysis will be performed by HHS FTEs or contracted services.

List of Attachments

1. Consent Message

2. Question Inventory

Consent Message

OMB Control No.: XXXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX-XX-XXXX

Online Welcome Message:

Please help us improve this Web site by completing our short customer satisfaction questionnaire. We will use your feedback to improve our service to you. We anticipate that it will take approximately 12 minutes to complete this questionnaire.

Your responses to all questions will be kept in a secure manner. No personal identifiers will be recorded. All information is used for evaluation purposes only and we do not plan to share the data with anyone outside of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Click “Continue” to begin. You have the option to skip any question you wish; doing so will not affect the rest of your survey. Thank you!

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 12 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions and completing the survey. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to HHS Reports Clearance Officer; 200 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20201.

HHS Customer Utilization and Satisfaction Survey

There are two Universal Questions which will be included in all surveys. Up to ten additional questions will be selected from the Performance Optional Questions and Personal Optional Questions. If any Personal Optional Questions are used, the following disclaimer will be included:

We would like to know more about you. This information will help us better target our Web content. All responses will be held in a secure manner. No personal identifiers will be stored with or linked to this information.

Performance Optional Questions:

Which best describes you?

• General Public

• Health Professional

• Human Services Professional

• Beneficiary

• Business

• Lawyer

• Consultant

• Non-Profit organization

• U.S. HHS

• Other Federal Government

• State/Tribal/Local Government

• Teacher

• Student

• Journalist

• Librarian

• Other

How did you come here today?

• Search Engine (Google, Yahoo, etc)

• USA.Gov

• Link from another web site

• Friend or Colleague

• Newspaper or magazine

• Television or radio

• Information Center referral

• Bookmark

• Federal Register Notice

• Other

How often do you visit this Web site?

• This is my first visit

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

Briefly, what task were you trying to find or accomplish on the Web site? (Please do not include personally identifiable information here.)

Were you successful?

• Yes

• Partially

• Still looking

• No

Completing my task was:

• Easy

• Average

• Difficult

• Impossible

What do you like best about this Web site?

• Useful information

• Trustworthy information

• Up to date information

• Easy to find information

• Overall design

What do you like least about this Web site?

• Confusing information

• Too much information

• Out of date information

• Hard to find information

• Overall design

I used the following to accomplish my task (check all that apply)

• Searching the Internet

• Search box on this Web site

• A to Z Index

• Left side bar

• Other navigation on the page

• Other

How likely are you to recommend this site to someone else?

• Very likely

• Likely

• Unlikely

Personal Optional Questions (w/disclaimer):

I am:

• Female

• Male

My age is:

• Less than 18 years old

• 18-24 years old

• 25-34 years old

• 35-49 years old

• 50-64 years old

• 65 years old or older

My first language is:

• English

• Spanish

• Chinese

• Other

My level of schooling is:

• Still in elementary, middle or high school

• Did not graduate high school

• High school graduate

• Some college or vocational school

• College graduate

• Some postgraduate schooling

• Graduate or professional degree.

My average use of the Internet (at work and home, not including email) is: :

• Less than 1 hour a week

• 1-2 hours a week

• 3-7 hours a week

• 1-2 hours a day

• 2-4 hours a day

• More than 4 hours a day

Universal Questions:

How satisfied were you with your overall experience on this Web site? Please rank with one being unsatisfied and 10 being fully satisfied.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

(Unsatisfied) (Satisfied)

What one thing on this Web site would you most like to change or fix? (Please do not include personally identifiable information here.)

2