NHTSA Form 1262 ODI Focus Group Discsscusison Guide-Attachment B

OMB Control No. 2127-0682

Expiration Date 02-28-2015

ODI Vehicle Safety Focus Groups

Discussion Guide

This collection of information is voluntary and will be used for formative purposes only so that we may develop and evaluate programs designed to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths. We will not collect any personal information that would allow anyone to identify you. A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2127-0682. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 120 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, W51-316, 1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E., Washington, DC, 20590

Appendix B

ODI Campaign Materials Testing

Draft Focus Group Discussion Guide

Audience: Licensed drivers who have experienced a safety related issue with their vehicle, some of whom have reported the issue to NHTSA.

Data Collection Mode: Focus Groups

Schedule: Dates TBD

This discussion guide follows a funnel approach, beginning with a broad conversation about consumer experiences with vehicle safety issues in order to start the conversation and begin the topic discussion, then narrowing to specifically test the materials for this program.

The content of this discussion guide is designed to meet three main objectives:

1. Explore consumer experiences when faced with vehicle safety issues to help inform campaign development.

2. Test potential campaign materials, including a website mock-up, new complaint form mock-up, infographic explaining the use of the form, visual FAQs, videos, the current mobile app and taglines to guide refinements for clarity, comprehension and overall effectiveness.

3. Explore additional opportunities for NHTSA to foster ongoing relationships with vehicle owners.

Introduction

[5 minutes]

1. Welcome, group rules, privacy

2. Group introductions

1. First name

2. How often do you drive?

3. What is your primary purpose for driving?

VEHICLE SAFETY ISSUES

[30 minutes]

We all have been faced with various car problems in the past. To begin tonight’s group, I’d like for us to list out some of these problems as a group. So, thinking you to think about the vehicle or vehicles you and your family drive…

1. What are some car problems you’ve faced recently? (MODERATOR GO AROUND THE ROOM, WRITE ON FLIP CHART)

   1. Are there any other car problems you’ve faced with vehicles in the past? What are they?

   2. Looking at this list, which ones would you say are the most serious problems? (MODERATOR WRITE CHECK MARK NEXT TO THOSE MENTIONED)

      1. For what reasons?

   3. And which ones, in your opinion, are the least serious? (MODERATOR WRITE MINUS SIGN NEXT TO THOSE MENTIONED)

      1. For what reasons?

   4. Thinking about the problems with a check mark next to them, how did you (or would you) go about addressing these?

      1. Where would you turn to first?

      2. Who would you look to for advice?

      3. Who do you trust to help you address these problems?

   5. If you were faced with one of these problems that have a check mark next to it, and you turned to Google or another search engine for more information. What might you search for?

      1. What are the key words or phrases you would use to get to the information that you’re looking for?

      2. If we were to categorize these problems into one group, what would the category be called? PROBE: difference between check marks and minus signs on flip chart

      3. What type of sources would you be looking for in the results? PROBE: government, manufacturer, news, other industry sites?

   6. How, if at all, does the process of addressing these problems differ from addressing the ones we marked as being less serious?

2. Have you ever reported one of these issues to anyone other than your mechanic or repair shop?

   1. [IF YES] Who did you report this do? PROBE: vehicle manufacturer, government agency, consumer group, etc.

      1. How did you know you could report the issue to this group?

      2. What were the steps that you took to report the issue?

      3. What did reporting this issue accomplish?

   2. Are you aware of any/any other resources/groups to whom you can report these issues? PROBE: vehicle manufacturer, government agency, consumer group, etc.

      1. What have you heard about this

      2. What would this accomplish?

      3. Do you know if there is a standard process in place to report issues to this group? What is it?

   3. How likely would you be to report one of these issues to a government agency?

      1. What agency could you report this to?

      2. Are there certain issues that you are more likely to report to the government than others?

      3. What would you expect to happen as a result of reporting this to a government agency?

   4. Parents – what if there was a problem with the car or booster seat in your vehicle? Who might you report this to?

      1. How likely would you be (or would you have been) to report this to a government agency?

      2. What agency could you report this to?

      3. What would you expect to happen as a result of reporting this to a government agency?

3. Are you familiar with vehicle safety recalls?

   1. Where do you hear about safety recalls, in general?

   2. What does it mean for a vehicle to be part of a safety recall?

   3. How does a vehicle become part of a safety recall? How are the issues identified?

   4. Who administers safety recalls?

   5. Have you ever had a vehicle that’s been part of a safety recall?

      1. How did you learn your vehicle was part of a safety recall?

      2. What steps did you take as a result?

4. How many have heard of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (sometimes referred to as N-H-T-S-A or NHTSA)?

   1. What do you know about this agency? Where did you hear this information?

   2. I’m going to read you a brief statement about NHTSA - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (or, NHTSA) is the nation's only agency authorized to conduct defect investigations and administer safety recalls on vehicles and vehicle equipment including tires, car seats, and booster seats.

      1. Prior to tonight, were you aware that NHTSA conducts defect investigations and administers safety recalls?

         1. [IF YES] Where did you learn about this?

      2. What do you know about NHTSA’s defect investigations and safety recalls processes?

         1. What do you think prompts an investigation?

         2. What do you think prompts a safety recall?

   3. I have some more information on this topic - Consumers can report safety complaints to NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) online, through a mobile app, by phone or through the mail, and after several people complain about the same mechanical or safety-related problem, NHTSA may investigate the issue to determine whether a safety defect exists.

      1. Based on this information, what questions do you have about the process?

      2. Is this information you would personally seek out?

      3. Where would you look for this information?

Campaign testing

(80 minutes)

NHTSA is considering ways to raise awareness of the complaint reporting, defect investigation and safety recalls processes. The agency wants more consumers to know this resource exists, and they are looking to provide materials to help make the process easier. For the remainder of our time tonight, we’re going to be taking a look at various materials the agency is considering.

Mobile App

5. As I mentioned earlier, consumers are also able to submit their complaints using a mobile app.

   1. How many of you would consider submitting a complaint this way? Why/why not?

   2. What might prompt you to download an app that includes this feature?

      1. What else would the app have to do/include in order for you to download it?

      2. Where would you expect to hear about this app?

         1. Where else do you hear about apps that might be of interest to you?

   3. This app has some other features including the ability to search for recalls, search for 5-star safety ratings, get information on installing car seats and access general news an information related to vehicle safety. I’m going to demonstrate how the “file a complaint” function works… I’ll go through it once and then we’ll talk as a group.

      1. Overall, how easy or hard does this seem to you?

      2. What features do you like? What features don’t you like?

      3. Was there anything that I showed you that was unclear or confusing?

         1. What could NHTSA do to make this part easier to understand or complete?

      4. What could NHTSA do to improve the “submit a complaint” section of the app?

      5. There were a couple of parts that included a link to more information – is there anything else in this section that you would want additional information for?

      6. Having seen the app, are you more or less likely to use this if you were to submit a complaint to NHTSA?

Complaint Form

6. One of the things the agency is considering is revising the form that is currently used to issue complaints. The goal is to make the form easy to use, so that drivers who may not be vehicle-savvy are still able to articulate what they are experiencing.

   1. I’m going to hand out a mock-up of this form. What I’d like you to do is take your ORANGE highlighter and circle anything on the form that is unclear or confusing. Then we’ll discuss as a group.

   2. Before we discuss, jot some notes on the back of the paper on what could be improved to make this form easier for you to use.

   3. Tell me about the things you circled.

   4. What about that item is unclear or confusing?

   5. What could NHTSA do to improve that part? What additional information do you need to help you?

   6. Tell me about the suggested improvements.

      1. Why is this important for NHTSA to consider?

      2. What other things can NHTSA do to make this as easy to use as possible?

   7. Would you say the language used in this form is simple or complex?

   8. Is it clear what information is required and what is not required?

   9. Where would you expect to find this form? How important is it that this form be mobile-friendly (able to be accessed on a mobile device)?

   10. What other websites or sources should have this form available, or link to this form?

   11. If you knew this form existed, how likely would you be to fill this out before going to the mechanic in order to help your convey the problems you are facing?

   12. What questions do you still have about using this form?

Infographic

7. The next thing I’m going to show you is an infographic that is designed to help consumers use this form. Are you familiar with infographics?

   1. Where do you typically see graphics like this?

   2. How likely are you to pay attention to graphics like this?

   3. Please read through the information included on this infographic, and again, using your orange highlighter, please circle anything you find unclear or confusing. Then we’ll discuss as a group.

   4. Overall, how do you feel about this infographic? Is it easy/difficult to understand? Clear/confusing? Helpful/not helpful?

      1. For what reasons do you say this?

      2. Does anyone disagree? For what reasons?

   5. Tell me about the things you circled.

   6. What about that item is unclear or confusing?

   7. What could NHTSA do to improve that part? What additional information do you need to help you?

   8. How do you feel about the overall design of this infographic? Is it appealing/unappealing?

   9. After reading the information included here, what questions do you still have about using this form?

   10. What questions do you still have about the complaints, defects investigations and safety recalls processes?

Visual FAQs

8. The next thing I’m going to show you is a set of FAQs. This document is designed to help you learn more about the process.

   1. How likely are you to reference an FAQ document to help you learn about this topic? Where else have you seen FAQs that have been useful for you?

   2. We’re going to do the same exercise with this document. Please read through the information included, and again, using your orange highlighter, please circle anything you find unclear or confusing. Then we’ll discuss as a group.

   3. Overall, how do you feel about this document? Is it easy/difficult to understand? Clear/confusing? Helpful/not helpful?

      1. For what reasons do you say this?

      2. Does anyone disagree? For what reasons?

   4. Tell me about the things you circled.

   5. What about that item is unclear or confusing?

   6. What could NHTSA do to improve that part? What additional information do you need to help you?

   7. Is there any information in here that stands out as particularly interesting or useful for you?

   8. What questions do you still have about the complaints, defects investigations and safety recalls processes?

Videos (if time show both videos, otherwise, rotate “Recalls” and “Investigations” across groups)

9. The next thing I will show you is a video (are two videos) which are currently in development that further help to explain the (investigations/recalls) process(es).

   1. By a show of hands, how many of you watch videos online?

   2. If you were looking for information on this topic are you more likely to click on an FAQ document, or watch a video overview?

   3. I’m going to play the video for you and then we’ll discuss as a group.

   4. What are your initial reactions to this video?

   5. What are your thoughts about the way this video presents information about this process?

      1. Does it help you to understand the process?

      2. Is it informative?

      3. Is this video engaging?

      4. Is the level of information contained in this video appropriate, too little or too much?

   6. How useful is this video in providing information on this process?

      1. In general, is a video an effective way to show this information? Why/why not?

      2. Overall, how could NHTSA improve this video to make it more useful?

      3. What additional information would you want this to include?

   7. What advice do you have for NHTSA as they work to revise this to be as useful and helpful as possible?

Website

10. All of these materials will be available on a new section of NHTSA’s website, SaferCar.gov. How many of you are familiar with SaferCar.gov?

    1. Has anyone used SaferCar.gov in the past? For what reasons?

    2. I’m going to show you a mock-up of what this new section could look like and I would like to get your feedback.

    3. Overall, what are you initial reactions to this website?

    4. Does it seem easy or difficult to use? For what reasons do you say this?

    5. Does it seem informative or not information? For what reasons do you say this?

    6. How do you feel about the overall design of this website? Does the design enhance or detract from the usefulness of this site, or does it make no difference?

    7. How likely are you to use this website? What might prompt you to visit?

    8. What information would this website need to have in order to make it useful for you?

Campaign & Tagline

11. Thinking about all these different things we talked about. NHTSA is in the process of developing a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the vehicle safety complaints process and encouraging consumers to use many of the resources that we’ve looked at tonight. This campaign could include advertising and other promotional materials that seek to grab consumer’s attention.

    1. What are the best ways to reach you with this information? Online? News? TV? Somewhere else?

    2. Are there certain websites that you visit that would be appropriate to include information on this campaign (e.g., link to the website, provide information on behalf of NHTSA, etc.)?

    3. We talked about searching online earlier. If SaferCar.gov came up in your search results for (REFER TO SEARCH TERMS MENTIONED BY GROUP), is this a site you would be likely to click on? For what reasons?

12. As you know many of campaigns like this have taglines or slogans to go along with it so that the people who hear or read information on the campaign are more likely to remember the information, or take some sort of action as a result of what they’ve seen.

Before we wrap up tonight, I’d like to do one final activity in which we look at some taglines for this campaign. I have a few different tagline options here that we’ll go through together.

I’m going to pass out a piece of paper with a potential tagline. Before we discuss it as a group, I’d like you to individually read the tagline and jot down your initial thoughts. Then please answer the questions below the tagline and give it an overall grade, from A to F, based on how appealing it is to you personally.

HANDOUT WILL INCLUDE TAGLINE, NOTES, RATINGS FOR CLEAR/UNCLEAR, MEMORABLE/NOT MEMORABLE, ENCOURAGES ME TO ACT/DOES NOT ENCOURAGE ME ACT, AS WELL AS AN OVERALL GRADE.

Taglines TBD

1. [MODERATOR ALLOWS A MOMENT FOR PARTICIPANTS TO REVIEW; MODERATOR READS THE TAGLINE ALOUD TO THE GROUP]

   1. What do you like about this tagline? / What don’t you like about this tagline?

   2. Where can you picture seeing or hearing this tagline?

   3. Does this tagline make sense for an organization focused on vehicle safety?

   4. Does it make sense for a campaign that includes the materials we reviewed tonight?

   5. What is this tagline telling you to do?

   6. How, if at all, would you change this tagline to make it more effective?

2. I have another example of a potential tagline. Again, I’d like you to individually jot down your initial thoughts, answer the questions and then give the tagline a grade A-F based on how appealing it is to you personally. [MODERATOR HANDS OUT PAPER WITH SECOND TAGLINE; REPEAT AS NECESSARY FOR ALL TAGLINES]

   1. What do you like about this tagline? / What don’t you like about this tagline?

   2. Where can you picture seeing or hearing this tagline?

   3. Does this tagline make sense for an organization focused on vehicle safety?

   4. Does it make sense for a campaign that includes the materials we reviewed tonight?

   5. What is this tagline telling you to do?

   6. How, if at all, would you change this tagline to make it more effective?

3. [MODERATOR PINS UP ALL TAGLINES] Thinking of all the taglines we’ve reviewed, which stand out to you as more compelling?

   1. Better at capturing your attention?

   2. Most memorable?

   3. Better for a campaign focused on vehicle safety complaints, defect investigations, safety recalls?

Closing

[5 minutes]

13. And finally, before we end tonight’s group, how likely are you to use the materials we looked at tonight?

    1. What additional materials would be helpful in educating drivers on these topics?

    2. Where would you expect to hear about this campaign and find the materials we evaluated tonight?

14. And what final advice for NHTSA as they work to educate consumers on these topics? [MODERATOR GO AROUND THE ROOM]

NHTSA ODI Campaign Materials Testing

Appendix B - Draft Focus Group Discussion Guide

NHTSA Form 1262

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