1525-0012-0166 US Mint Qualitative Consumer Research (Focus Groups) 1525-0012-00167 Website Usability Testing (Focus Groups)

National Analysts Worldwide Study #831

January, 2012

U.S. Mint Web Usability Research
Discussion Guide
Customers/Non-Customers

I. INTRODUCTION

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 number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1525-0012-XXX.

• Ground Rules: Video-taping, confidentiality, candor, cell phones, pagers, etc.

• Background & Objectives: The purpose of today’s discussion is to: 1) improve your ability to successfully and quickly find information on the U.S. Mint’s website; and 2) increase your satisfaction with the website.

• Introduction:

• Feedback is important to help improve the site

• Will perform a few activities/tasks on the site

• Something you might do in your home or office

• Will give the tasks to you one at a time, and ask you to read them aloud

• Think aloud; tell us what you are doing and why

• Tell us what you expect to happen

• Comments are important so will be taking notes

• Should take about one hour

• Following tasks, we will ask you to tell us about your experience

• Questions before we begin?

II. USER IMPRESSION OF THE WEBSITE (allow users to explore website)

• What is your initial impression of this website?

• Specifically, what type of information would you expect to find on this site? Is anything missing?

• Specifically, what types of things would you expect to be able to do on this site?

• Who do you think this site is for?

III. WEBSITE SCENARIOS/TASKS

Tasks will be provided to users one at a time, in random order. Tasks may vary depending on users’ experience with the U.S. Mint website and history with purchasing coins online. Following each scenario, the facilitator may probe on issues that arise during the usability scenario.

(Presented in Random Order)

1. You are interested in purchasing a 2011 U.S. Mint Uncirculated coin set ($31.95). How would you do this?

2. You’d like to find out when the gifts you purchased will arrive at your home. What is the status of your order?

3. What is the price of the 2011 U.S. Mint Proof Set?

4. You are considering purchasing a U.S. Mint coin set, how much does standard shipping cost?

(Additional scenarios to be added by the U.S. Mint team as needed.)

IV. QUESTIONS DURING WEBSITE TASKS (IF APPLICABLE)

• Where are you looking on the screen? OR I see you looking around on the screen, what are you looking for?

• Why did you click on [insert element]?

• What do/did you expect to find when you click on [insert element]?

• I noticed that you chose [insert element A] and not [insert element B] just now. What would you have expected to see if you had chosen [insert element B]?

• What would you do next?

V. FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS TO WEBSITE TASKS

• Tell me more about… OR What do you think about… [the links, the categories of information on the site, the categories of products, the search feature and results pages, the website design, the ‘look and feel’ of the website, etc,]

• Tell me about your experience with this task.

• Which aspects of the website [related to this task] were valuable?

• Which aspects of the website [related to this task] need improvement?

• How would you use [insert specific feature of the website]?

VI. OVERALL REACTION TO USING THE WEBSITE

• Overall, how would you describe the site? What is your general reaction?

• What were/are your expectations, and to what extent does the website meet these?

• What three things did you like best about the website?

• What three things did you like least about the site?

• If you were the developer and could make only one change to the website, what would that be?

• Is there anything you feel is missing from the site?

• If you were to describe this site to a friend, what would you say?

VII. USER RATING OF SATISFACTION AFTER USING THE WEBSITE

The System Usability Scale (SUS) will be administered at the end of the usability test.

System Usability Scale (SUS)

Current Non-Users

	Strongly Disagree				Strongly Agree
	1	2	3	4	5
I think that I would like to use this website frequently.
I found the website unnecessarily complex.
I thought the website was easy to use.
I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this website.
I found the various functions in this website were well integrated.
I thought there was too much inconsistency in this website.
I would imagine that most people would learn to use this website very quickly.
I found the website very cumbersome to use.
I felt very confident using the website.
I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this website.

Prior Users

	Strongly Disagree				Strongly Agree
	1	2	3	4	5
I think that the design of the website invites me to use this website frequently.
I find the website unnecessarily complex.
I think the website was easy to use.
I feel that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this website.
I find the various functions in this website to be well integrated.
I feel there is too much inconsistency in this website.
I would imagine that most people would learn to use this website very quickly.
I find the website very cumbersome to use.
I felt very confident using the website.
I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this website.

DEMOGRAPHIC AND WEB USAGE QUESTIONS

1. What is your gender? (CHECK ONE)

Male

Female

2. What is your age? (CHECK ONE)

18 to 24 years

25 to 34 years

35 to 44 years

45 to 54 years

55 to 59 years

60 to 64 years

65 years or older

3. What is the highest level of education you have completed? (CHECK ONE)

High school or less

Some college

College degree

Advanced degree

4a. Are you Hispanic or Latino? (CHECK ONE)

Yes

No

4b. What is your race? Please select one or more

White

Black or African American

Asian

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

American Indian or Alaska Native

5. How much time do you spend using a computer each week? (CHECK ONE)

Less than 2 hours

3-5 hours

6-10 hours

10-14 hours

15 or more hours

6. Approximately, how often do you use the Internet? (CHECK ONE)

At least once a day

3-5 times a week

1-2 times a week

Every few weeks

7. Excluding email, how much time do you spend on the web each week? (CHECK ONE)

Less than one hour a week

1 – 10 hours a week

11-20 hours a week

21 or more hours a week

8. Have you ever purchased coins or other merchandise directly from the U.S. Mint? (CHECK ONE)

Yes

No

9. If so, have you ever purchased coins from the U.S. Mint website? (CHECK ONE)

Yes

No

10. How often do you use the U.S Mint website? (CHECK ONE)

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Every few months

Never

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