Request for Clearance

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 1530-0023)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Direct Express Mobile App Usability Testing.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of these tests is to test general usability of the application including look and feel,
flow of screens, content of the screens, and overall added value to complement the Direct
Express® program. The goal is to have 12, 60 minute one on one test sessions with Direct
Express® cardholders. Half the recruits should have an iPhone and the other half should have
Samsung phone.
.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Direct Express Cardholders with iPhone and Samsung
phones who reside in St. Louis, MO

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: Face-to-Face Interviews

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.
Digitally signed by Bruce A. Sharp
DN: c=US, o=U.S. Government, ou=Department of the Treasury, ou=Bureau of
the Public Debt, ou=People, serialNumber=404211, cn=Bruce A. Sharp
Date: 2014.12.17 17:16:24 -05'00'

Name:________________________________________________

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 [ ] 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? [X] Yes [ ] No

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It is generally accepted as a standard industry practice to offer an incentive to individuals who
participate in testing groups. Since participants are giving their personal time and have to
commute to and from the facility, providing them with an incentive is a way to compensate them
for their time and participation. In addition, offering an incentive increases participation rates
and in turn reduces recruiting costs.
Direct Express cardholders are individuals who exist primarily on monthly federal benefit
payments such as SSA or SSI as the sole source of income. They usually do not have
transportation options other than public means (bus, taxi, etc.). We've learned this through
previous interview sessions conducted by KRC Research. Therefore there is some added
difficulty in recruiting and actually having folks show up. Therefore, for this project, a $75
incentive will be provided to make it possible to recruit the desired number of participants within
a reasonable amount of time.
BURDEN HOURS
Category of Respondent

No. of
Participation
Respondents Time
12 maximum 1 hour

Burden

Direct Express Card Holders with iPhone and
24
Samsung phones
hours
The burden hours include telephone recruit, commute time to the test facility, and test time.
FEDERAL COST: The estimated one-time cost to the Federal government is $0.
The selection of your targeted respondents
This research is qualitative and will not employ any statistical techniques or be used to
generalize to the entire target audience.
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
We will recruit potential respondents from a list of all Direct Express Cardholders residing in
St. Louis, MO. The Direct Express cardholders will be chosen from zip codes designated by
Lucas Research as being within their recruiting area. Participants will be screened to ensure
they meet the criteria to participate in the tests and be recruited if they meet the criteria, are
willing to participate in the test, and are available the day the interviews are scheduled.
Participation is voluntary.
The screening questions, confidential form, and test overview are attached.
Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[X] Telephone (to recruit)
[X] In-person (to conduct test)
[ ] Mail
[ ] Other, Explain

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2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] No
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the
request.

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