SAVE Focus Group

0960-0526

SAVE Project Sample Focus Group Discussion Guide

SSA will conduct a series of discussions with groups of citizens to obtain their feedback on our proposed service directory and appointment scheduling processes. The discussions will include semi-structured focus groups, more aptly termed “discussions,” run by moderators and an opportunity to review web page prototypes. Participants will be recruited by using a professional firm with focus group experience.

We will conduct these discussions in groups of no more than twenty citizens or at a time. Discussions will take place in focus group meeting rooms and focus on iterations of the web pages being designed for directing citizens to services and scheduling appointments. Users will be given an opportunity to review webpage prototypes and asked how they would use the prototypes to complete certain activities (e.g. scheduling an appointment, selecting a desired service, etc.). They will then be asked questions about the prototype to determine how easy the web pages were to use. Feedback will be used to develop new iterations of the design and the business process associated with the design.

Discussions of proposed web applications will include:

• Website prototype analysis;

• Evaluation of the design;

• Discussion of the clarity, relevance, and ease of completion of information on the website;

• Utility of the proposed website;

• User satisfaction with the site’s security/authentication protocols;

• Usability testing of the site.

Other discussion topics may include:

• Preferences for in-office versus telephone appointments.

• Desired format for selecting appointments (e.g. calendar versus first available).

• Expectations concerning appointment availability.

• Preferred menus or navigation processes for accessing online services.