FTC request re: Wireframes Usability Testing - part 2

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 3084-0159)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: FTC.gov Wireframe Usability Testing
PURPOSE:
The FTC is creating a new website to replace the one at FTC.gov. Before developing the new
site, we would like to conduct a usability test of wireframes (prototypes of several key pages of
the new site). The wireframes have been created based on research and discovery. By testing
wireframes we can further refine organization, labeling, and architecture before we enter into the
design and development stages.
For the test, we will ask users to complete up to 7 tasks and record any difficulties they have in
completing them. We will choose tasks that are representative of the needs of different FTC
audiences. We want to be sure that the architecture of the site helps all of our site visitors
accomplish tasks quickly and easily. The users will also be asked to give free-form responses to
several general questions about their impression of the page prototypes.
The usability testing will be conducted by Rock Creek Strategic Marketing, the FTC’s vendor for
the overhaul of FTC.gov, on Jan. 30-31, 2013.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:
The FTC plans to have a mix of internal and external stakeholders participate in the testing
exercises. Internal stakeholders will be FTC staff and on-site contractors representing a range of
offices and professions. Ideally, external stakeholders would represent a mix of professions and
professional interests, including economists, attorneys, consumer advocates, consumers, and
others. External stakeholders will be identified by FTC staff. We will contact them by email to
ask them to participate.
TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)
[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form
[x] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software)
[ ] Focus Group

[ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey
[ ] Small Discussion Group
[ ] Other: _________________

CERTIFICATION:
I certify the following to be true:
1. The collection is voluntary.
2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.
3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal
agencies.
4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential
policy decisions.
6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have
experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.
Name: Nat Wood_______________________________
To assist review, please provide answers to the following questions:
Personally Identifiable Information:
1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [x] No
2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the
Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [x] No
3. If applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No [x] N/A
Gifts or Payments:
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [ ] Yes [x] No
BURDEN HOURS
Category of Respondent
Wireframe Testing (Jan. 30-31, 2013 sessions)
Totals

No. of
Respondents
30
30

Participation
Time
25 minutes
25 minutes

Burden
12.5 hours
12.5 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $5,000.
If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please
provide answers to the following questions:
The selection of your targeted respondents
1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential
respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe?
[ ] Yes [x] No
If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan). If
the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of
respondents and how you will select them.
We will ask FTC employees to provide the email addresses of professional and personal contacts
who might be willing to participate in this test. We also will ask them to provide very limited
basic information about possible participants, including their familiarity with the site content.
We will use this information to build a diverse list of possible participants. The participants who
indicate interest and availability will come to the FTC headquarters where the testing will be
conducted. If individuals are unable to attend on-site usability testing, a remote version of the

same usability test can be performed. We understand that this is not a strictly representative
sample of our site users, but we feel it is still a useful approximation.
Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[x] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[ ] Telephone
[x] In-person
[ ] Mail
[ ] Other, Explain
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [x] Yes [ ] No