Usability Study for Safercar.gov Program

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 2127-0682)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Usability Study for SaferCar.gov Program

PURPOSE:

After receiving feedback from automotive manufacturers and suppliers that important information is difficult to find on NHTSA’s web properties, NHTSA is submitting this request to conduct a usability test for SaferCar.gov. This web property is a key vehicle safety resource for the public and ensuring the public is properly armed with important vehicle and driving safety information is essential to NHTSA’s mission to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce traffic-related health care and other economic costs.

This testing will be used to review the content and navigation of SaferCar.gov to ensure the site is effectively providing the important safety information it is meant to convey to the public. These tests will be conducted in-person in order to observe user actions and hear direct feedback about the appeal, clarity and usefulness of the information presented as well as the ease in which they can find important pieces of information. Users will be directed to complete various tasks to assess the navigability of the websites and to evaluate whether the content includes the information that the user needs and expects to find in these sources.

The results of this research are critical to guiding design and content revisions that will maintain the relevance of the content and enhance the effectiveness of these tools in providing the public with vehicle safety information.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

For the purposes of this study, the recommended screening criteria are broad enough to include a cross-section of vehicle drivers and purchasers. Potential subjects will be asked several questions to determine their eligibility to participate in the focus groups.

The screening criteria will ensure that respondents have internet access and either currently own or lease a vehicle, or at a minimum are in the purchase mindset as these consumers are the audience for NHTSA’s web properties. The criteria will also ensure we are speaking with primary or shared decision makers, as these consumers will be the ones researching information about vehicles online.

Respondents will be screened based on the following criteria:

• Participants must be 18 years or older.

• Participants must have access to the Internet.

• Participants must currently possess a valid driver’s license.

• Participants must currently own or lease a vehicle or are in the vehicle purchase mindset (i.e., plan to purchase a vehicle in the next year).

• Participants must be a primary or shared vehicle decision maker.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[X] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus 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:________________________________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [X] Yes [ ] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [X] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [X] Yes [ ] No

Usability study participants are provided a cash honorarium as compensation for their time. This honorarium is provided as an incentive for participants to take the time to travel to the facility and participate in the interview (therefore minimizing participant out-of-pocket expenses), as well as a sign of appreciation for their thoughts and opinions. We estimate the honorarium to be $75 per participant. Compensation will be equal for all participants.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
Individuals who are recruited and participate (includes recruitment time and interview time)	12	55 min/person	11
Individuals who are recruited but do not participate (includes recruitment time)	6	20 min/person	2
Totals	18	43.33 min/person	13

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $21,000

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?

For central location research, where respondents are asked to come to a facility to complete this study, recruitment can be executed using one or a mix of the following methods:

1. A list of potential respondents is provided to the facility. This method is generally used when participants must meet specific and unique criteria or when the group is to be made up of a specific population for which a list of members exists.

2. A database of potential local respondents is compiled by facilities over time. These are people who have agreed in advance to participate in research, if they qualify. The focus group facility maintains this database and adheres to the Marketing Research Association’s code of ethics on data collection in keeping personal information private.

3. An advertisement looking for participants can be included in the local newspaper, on a local website, or through some other channel to attract potential participants.

Since the first methodology does not apply to this program, respondents for this usability will be recruited using the latter methods.

Respondents will be selected if they qualify based on the screening criteria and are available for the dates and times available for the research. We will aim to include a mix of demographic groups in order to obtain diverse responses and experiences with the website.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] 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

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

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. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request

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