The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). We will conduct usability testing of the Internet reporting application for the 2010 Business and Professional Classification Report survey (SQ-CLASS). The SQ-CLASS collects information on new businesses to obtain proper industry classification for use in economic surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The survey, conducted quarterly, samples businesses with newly-assigned Employer Identification Numbers from the Internal Revenue Service. Businesses can only be selected once for the survey. The SQ-CLASS form collects data in such areas as: primary business activity, company structure, size, and business operations. This information is used to update the sampling frame for current business surveys, which ensures high quality economic estimates. By ensuring proper industry classification, this survey reduces respondent burden for the five-year Economic Census, as businesses will be mailed forms specifically tailored to their industry. It is currently only available as a paper form and the electronic Centurion form is scheduled to be released in August, 2010.
Usability testing of the Internet application in Centurion will focus on issues such as the layout of questions and screens, the navigation within and between screens, and edits. Special attention will be paid to the design of the main menu and review / submission screen. Copies of the draft screens are attached.
From June through July, 2010, staff from the Response Improvement Research Staff within the Economic Directorate of the Census Bureau will conduct one round of usability interviews with respondents from up to 16 businesses in two major cities to be determined. Interviews will be conducted at the business. A copy of the protocol used to conduct the interview is attached. Subject area specialists from the SQ-CLASS staff will accompany the usability tester on most, if not all, of the interviews. They will assist with respondent debriefing, especially in cases where additional clarification of the subject matter is required. Interviews will be audio recorded, with the participants’ permission, to aid researchers in accurately reporting findings and recommendations.
After businesses are recruited, participants will receive follow-up reminders about their appointments by fax, telephone, or e-mail via the Census Bureau’s Secure Messaging Center. Participants will be informed that their response is voluntary and that the information they provide is confidential and will be seen only by Census Bureau or special sworn employees involved in the research project. We will not be providing monetary incentives to participants in this study.
We estimate that it will be necessary to interview only one respondent at each company. We estimate the length of the interviews will average 1 hour. Thus, the maximum estimated burden for this research is 16 hours.
The contact person for questions regarding data collection and statistical aspects of the design of this research is:
Miriam Gerver
Response Improvement Research Staff
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, D.C. 20233
(301) 763-1836
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Miriam L. Gerver |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-02-02 |