Supporting Statement: Software demonstration to solicit feedback on usability of 14c technology

Request for Approval under the “DOL Departmental Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

(OMB Control Number: 1225-0088)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Software demonstration to solicit feedback on usability of 14c technology.

PURPOSE:

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is offering eight comprehensive compliance seminars for employers, community rehabilitation programs, and other stakeholders on rules governing the payment of workers with disabilities under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The seminars are a key component of the department’s ongoing effort to increase awareness and enhance compliance of this program to prevent the curtailment of opportunities for employment of individuals with disabilities. At each seminar, we are requesting approval to engage stakeholders in discussions that will ultimately identify usability and accessibility of software which may lead to a more efficient and user-friendly section 14(c) online application tool. The goal of this in-person discovery is to receive feedback on the concept of an online section 14(c) application using a digital prototype and soliciting feedback on usability of the technology. Screenshots of the prototype and the questionnaire that will serve as a guide for staff to prompt discussion at the seminars are attached

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The primary attendees at these seminars are section 14(c) certificate holders, who will be the primary user of the online application tool. The seminars are also attended by other stakeholders who are interested in the rules governing the payment of subminimum wages to workers with disabilities.

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:_Robert Waterman____

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

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

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	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Federal Seminar on section 14c of the FLSA	200	30 minutes
Totals	200	6,000 minutes	100 hours

*note that total attendees of the various seminars is expected to be 445. WHD estimates approximately 200 will self-select to provide feedback on the technology demonstrated.

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is ___0____

Note that attendees to the 14c seminar (members of the public self-select whether they will attend the seminar) will be offered the opportunity to provide feedback during the seminar which includes a number of presentations related to the FLSA 14c program. The facilitator is a federal employee who will be presenting at the seminar without regard to whether this ICR is approved in order to present on other FLSA 14c program issues so there is no additional federal cost.

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? [X ] Yes [ ] No

DOL will have a list of registered participants for the Federal Seminar on section 14c of the FLSA. However, the Department will not have a record or listing of those participants who self-select to participate in providing feedback on the technology.

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?

Members of the public self-select whether they will attend the Federal Seminar on section 14c of the FLSA. Attendees will further self-select whether they wish to provide feedback on the demonstration of the technology and its overall usability.

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

WHD will demonstrate the usability features of the software they would like to use demonstrating parts of the attached prototype to solicit feedback on the usability of the software. Upon demonstrating the software features, the facilitator (WHD staff) will solicit feedback with the attached questions.

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

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. Your responses are intended to be anonymous. Please do not include personal information (e.g. your name or address) in any answer. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Attention: Departmental Clearance Officer, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room N-1301, Washington, DC 20210 or email [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1225-0088.

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.

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.

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.

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

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