SOI-454 eAuthentication Usability Testing

1. Moderator Checklist

1. Look at and remember person’s name prior to going to meet him/her.

2. Introduce yourself and other team members who might interact with participant
   (i.e., logger, observation facilitator).

3. Ask if person would like something to drink and/or to use the restroom.

4. Ask person to read and sign the consent form.

5. Reference the OMB Control Number and PRA Statement:

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS display an OMB control number on all public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is 1545-1349. Also, if you have any comments regarding the time estimates associated with this study or suggestions on making this process simpler, please write to:

Internal Revenue Service

Tax Products Coordinating Committee

SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP

1111 Constitution Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20224

6. Talking points to cover in verbal session overview:

• Discuss the purpose of focus group.

• Remind participant to be honest and open and willing to share ideas and dislikes with the group/ team.

• Remind that (s)he is helping us evaluate our application—we are not evaluating him/her.

7. Ask participants if they have any questions.

8. Ensure that participant discusses his/her responses. Ask if (s)he has any other comments about the site.

Have participant sign receipt form and record honorarium check number on signed form.

Participant Consent Form

The purpose of this study is to help us evaluate the eAuthentication application soon to be offered by IRS. We would like you to help us identify ways we can change the design to make finding information easier. By participating in this study, you will help us shape the future of the IRS.gov Web site.

This session will take approximately 1 hour. You will be given a scenario with data about your life and asked to use the application using this information. One of our user experience specialists will be observing how you interact with the tool.

If you do not want to be in this study, you do not have to participate. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to, and you may stop at any time without any consequences. All information that you provide in this research study will be kept private to the extent allowed by law and any report of this research will not identify you personally in any way.

If you agree to help us, please sign below.

( Signature) (Date)

( Print Name)

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Statement:

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS display an OMB control number on all public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is OMB 1545-1349. Also, if you have any comments regarding the time estimates associated with this study or suggestions on making this process simpler, please write to the:

Internal Revenue Service

   Tax Products Coordinating Committee

   SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP

   1111 Constitution Ave. NW

   Washington, DC  20224

Sample Participant Email

Hello ____________. This [note / call] is just a reminder that you agreed to attend a market research interview tomorrow (date) at (time). As we discussed, this is part of a market research study and you will simply be asked to state your opinions and preferences regarding a series of issues or products that our client is interested in improving using your input along with the input of others. The session will last about (interview length). Please arrive about 15 minutes early so that we can make sure that we are ready for you.  Once you have finished the interview you will be compensated with the (incentive) we discussed.  If for any reason you are not able to attend the session, or you will be late, please contact (name) at (phone number). 

 Details on how to find the location are as follows:

               [facility location details]

User Scenarios

e Authentication Persona

YOUR PERSONAL INFO

Name:	Mimi Imfurst
Social Security No.	211-22-1234
Address:	22567 Main St Herndon, VA 20171
Date of Birth:	October 12, 1957
e-Mail Address:	[email protected]
Phone Number:	703-558-4498

YOUR LEGAL INFO

Tax Return Data:	Filing Status – Married Filing Jointly

YOUR FINANCIAL INFO

Credit Card Information:	See Card or Check in Folder
Billing Address:	22567 Main St Herndon, VA 20171

Thank you for participating!

e Authentication Persona

YOUR PERSONAL INFO

Name:	Mimi Imfurst
Social Security No.	211-22-1235
Address:	32569 First Ave. Memphis, TN 55487
Date of Birth:	January 12, 1943
e-Mail Address:	[email protected]
Phone Number:	502-558-4498

YOUR LEGAL INFO

Tax Return Data:	Filing Status – Married Filing Jointly

YOUR FINANCIAL INFO

Credit Card Information:	See Card or Check in Folder
Billing Address:	32569 First Ave. Memphis, TN 55487

Thank you for participating!

e Authentication Persona

YOUR PERSONAL INFO

Name:	Mimi Imfurst
Social Security No.	211-22-1236
Address:	11568 Golden Ave. Orlando, FL 40706
Date of Birth:	March 12, 1981
e-Mail Address:	[email protected]
Phone Number:	407-558-5524

YOUR LEGAL INFO

Tax Return Data:	Filing Status – Married Filing Jointly

YOUR FINANCIAL INFO

Credit Card Information:	See Card or Check in Folder
Billing Address:	11568 Golden Ave. Orlando, FL 40706

Thank you for participating!

e Authentication Persona

YOUR PERSONAL INFO

Name:	Mimi Imfurst
Social Security No.	211-22-1237
Address:	55684 Boston Terrace Tampa, FL 44598
Date of Birth:	May 12, 1981
e-Mail Address:	[email protected]
Phone Number:	407-788-5524

YOUR LEGAL INFO

Tax Return Data:	Filing Status – Married Filing Jointly

YOUR FINANCIAL INFO

Credit Card Information:	See Card or Check in Folder
Billing Address:	55684 Boston Terrace Tampa, FL 44598

Thank you for participating!

eAuthentication Persona

YOUR PERSONAL INFO

Name:	Mimi Imfurst
Social Security No.	211-22-1238
Address:	6684 Main St. Fairfax, WA 79514
Date of Birth:	June 12, 1976
e-Mail Address:	[email protected]
Phone Number:	604-788-5524

YOUR LEGAL INFO

Tax Return Data:	Filing Status – Married Filing Jointly

YOUR FINANCIAL INFO

Credit Card Information:	See Card or Check in Folder
Billing Address:	6684 Main St. Fairfax, WA 79514

Thank you for participating!

eAuthentication Persona

YOUR PERSONAL INFO

Name:	Mimi Imfurst
Social Security No.	211-22-1239
Address:	6689 Main St. Fairfax, WA 79514
Date of Birth:	June 12, 1976
e-Mail Address:	[email protected]
Phone Number:	604-788-5642

YOUR LEGAL INFO

Tax Return Data:	Filing Status – Married Filing Jointly

YOUR FINANCIAL INFO

Credit Card Information:	See Card or Check in Folder
Billing Address:	6689 Main St. Fairfax, WA 79514

Thank you for participating!

eAuthentication User Observations

Screener Questionaire

Job #

Hello, I’m ______________ calling on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS wants to hear from you. Have you heard about the website IRS DOT GOV? What we would like to do is ask you a few questions to see if you would be able to participate in a 60 minute evaluation of an IRS web site to be scheduled during the week of May 20th. The IRS is interested in finding out your opinions on the way they have designed their site. These evaluations are for research purposes only – we just want your opinions. We also want you to know the IRS will NOT in anyway use your personal information for anything other than the strict usage of it for this particular study. We would pay you to come to the IRS testing facility and provide your feedback and input on how well it works. Would you be willing to answer a few questions to see if you qualify?

IF NO, schedule time to call back. If Yes, continue.

[Reference the OMB Control Number and PRA Statement as noted below before continuing with the interview]

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS display an OMB control number on all public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is #1545-1349. Also, if you have any comments regarding the time estimates associated with this study or suggestions on making this process simpler, please write to:

Internal Revenue Service

Tax Products Coordinating Committee

SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP

1111 Constitution Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20224

Because we are seeking a wide variety of people, let me start by asking you some questions about yourself…

1. Have you ever taken part in a market research interview or usability study, either one on one or in a focus group type setting? IF NO SKIP TO Q4

2. When was the last time you participated in a market research interview or usability study? TERMINATE IF LESS THAN 6 MONTHS

3. Do you or any member of your immediate family currently work for or did they ever work for any of the following?

__	Marketing, Market Research Firm
__	Advertising
__	Web Site Design Company

IF YES TO ANY TERMINATE

__	For a city, state or federal government agency? If so, which one?

If IRS, terminate

4. Do you have access to the internet where you can use it for your own personal use?
   YES
   NO TERMINATE

5. On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means ‘not at all comfortable’ and 5 means ‘very comfortable’, how comfortable are you with… TERMINATE IF 1 or 2

using a mouse	1	2	3	4	5
using a keyboard	1	2	3	4	5
using the Internet	1	2	3	4	5
using a scroll bar	1	2	3	4	5

6. Have you currently or in the past personally prepared an income tax return for yourself or your family, or have you always used an outside agency?

Personally prepare the taxes………………..Continue

Uses an outside agency……………………..Continue

7. Do you use the Internet to do any of the following?

e-commerce (web shopping)	YES	NO
web site surfing	YES	NO
pay bills online	YES	NO
work related reasons	YES	NO
research	YES	NO
online banking	YES	NO
pay taxes online/software	YES	NO

8. Are you employed? IF NOT EMPLOYED SKIP TO 8A

__

Full time or Part Time outside the home

Need 3

If employed:

What is your occupation? _____________________________________________

What industry are you in? __________________________________________

GET A GOOD MIX OF DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES

8a. If Not Employed:

__	Retired
_	Student
__	Homemaker
__	In between jobs

GET AT LEAST 1 NOT EMPLOYED.

9. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

DO NOT READ ANSWER CHOICES - GET A MIX

__	Some high school or less
__	High school graduate
__	Some college, vocational or trade school
__	College graduate
__	Graduate school

10. Can you please tell me which of the following categories your age falls into?

GET A MIX - NO MORE THAN THREE PARTICIPANTS PER AGE GROUP

Under 18	TERMINATE
18-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-65
66+

11. On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is ‘not at all knowledgeable’ and 5 is ‘extremely knowledgeable’, how much do you know and understand about federal income taxes and procedures, i.e. filling out tax forms, etc.

1

2

3

4

5

Terminate if 1 – Get a Mix

12. Have you ever visited the website IRS DOT GOV?

YES

NO SKIP TO Q17

13. What was the nature of your visit to the website?

__	to find forms
__	to review tax regulations
__	to find phone numbers
__	file downloads
__	online tax tools
__	other___________________

14. Approximately how long was the duration of time for your visit to the website?

__	less than 15 minutes
__	15 minutes to 30 minutes
__	30 minutes to 1 hour
__	longer than 1 hour

15. How many times have you visited the website? ___________

16. Was the information you were seeking on the website different depending on the season? (such as tax filing season or calculating withholding changes)

YES NO

17. What ways have you ever contacted the IRS?

__	visited a local branch
__	phone call
__	spoken with a specific representative

Thank you, the following questions are for classification purposes only.

18. What is your current marital status? RECRUIT A MIX

__	Single
__	Married/Living with partner
__	Widowed
__	Divorced/Separated

Recruit to obtain 15 to 20 Individuals

Mix of men and women

Thank you for answering my questions. As you can imagine, this survey was part of a larger research project. Your responses to the questions I have asked have prompted me to inquire if you would be interested in further helping by participating in a paid research project. You will receive $40, simply for sharing more of your opinions with us in a 60 minute evaluation. This is strictly a research project, and we do not, and are not selling anything, ever.

This is how our process works: As part of our research, we will be conducting evaluations sessions with a number of people in your area similar to yourself. You would be attempting tasks on a web site and discussing your experiences w/ that web site. Let me stress again that these evaluations are for research purposes only – we just want your opinions. We also want you to know the IRS will NOT in anyway use your personal information for anything other than the strict usage of it for this particular study. The IRS is just interested in finding out your opinions on the way they have designed their website. Most importantly we want to ensure that the system ends up helping taxpayers.

These evaluation sessions will be held on (May 21 and 22, 2013 at TIME) at <INSERT ADDRESS>. They will last approximately 60 minutes. Would you be available for that particular date and time?

No  POLITELY DISCONTINUE

Yes  CONTINUE

Do you have any questions up to this point or special needs for coming to our facility?

(Answer inquiries appropriately and thoroughly)

Again, let me thank you for your participation. This research is important to all of us, and your help and participation is highly appreciated. Here are the rest of the steps in the process:

We will send you a reminder email prior to your scheduled appointment on (date) (time) to re-confirm that you will be attending and that you have no further questions. If we are unable to reach you and we leave a message, please call us back. Because we only schedule a limited number of sessions, and invite a limited number of research participants, it is our policy to continue calling until we do confirm your attendance.

Should something change in your participation availability, please phone our call center at 1-888-xxx-xxxx and reference “XXXXX”.