Mini-supporting Statement - E-Verify Mobile Application

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”
(OMB Control Number: 1615-0121 Expires 03/31/2018)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Usability Testing and User Feedback: E-Verify Mobile Application

PURPOSE:

USCIS will be conducting usability testing and seeking feedback from respondents about the ease of use and functionality of a prototype E-Verify Mobile Application (App). The App is a free native application¹ that provides users a new method to access and process E-Verify cases on a mobile device.

This study will:

• Determine whether users are able to successfully download the App and can create and process E-Verify cases on an Apple iOS mobile device

• Identify any issues with App functionality and use

• Determine whether the App has sufficient functionality to meet users’ business needs

• Provide user feedback which USCIS can use to evaluate the value of the App in comparison to the E-Verify website

This study complements prior studies which evaluate how users interact with and use E-Verify, and will be used by USCIS to make strategic decisions about whether ongoing investment in application development is warranted.

Participants will be asked about their experiences with the App and will provide written feedback through the Apple TestFlight² site. Apple TestFlight provides the following questions on its Send Feedback page: “Did you enjoy the experience? Run into any glitches? Have any feedback?” these are the only questions which will be asked of users.

The target audience for this testing is currently enrolled, active E-Verify users who currently use or have the immediate ability to use an Apple iOS device to create and process E-Verify cases. Users will access App functionality using their existing user ID and password.

Because the App is a brand new product that is specifically coded to iOS devices, there is no similar information that is currently available or that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this product.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Respondents will consist of a cross-section of currently enrolled E-Verify users who are actively using of E-Verify and are currently using or are able to use an Apple device to access the App and create cases. E-Verify users are registered, have current E-Verify credentials (user name and password) and are responsible for using E-Verify to confirm an employee’s identity and employment authorization.

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: Sara Lamason, Project Manager, Mobile E-Verify

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

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ X ]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
Individual	Up to 20003	45 minutes (.75 hours)	1,500 hours

The usability testing protocol will ask participants to:

• Download the App (one-time event)

  • Read the usability testing announcement and instructions for volunteering to participate in usability testing (10 min)

  • Email USCIS to volunteer for usability testing (5 min)

  • Read instructions and download the TestFlight App (5 min)

  • Reading instructions and download the E-Verify App (5 min)

• Usability Testing Phase

  • Create E-Verify Case(s) (8 min/case)⁴

  • Providing feedback via TestFlight (12 min) optional

Please note that the burden statement included with the App reflects times that are different from the proposed usability testing times. The New Enrollment Activities of 136 minutes per response and Yearly Training requirement of 60 minutes per response to are not applicable to this testing, but cannot be removed from the App at this time as USCIS does not have the technical support needed to make the design change. Instead, USCIS will provide actual notice of the testing burden to users by providing an explanation of the time required for testing as part of the alert inviting users to participate in testing.

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $99.00

To use the Apple App Store services, including the TestFlight service, USCIS is required to pay a $99.00 developer fee to Apple Inc.

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

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?

USCIS has developed an E-Verify mobile application (App) as a result of requests from U.S. Senators representing constituencies of employers in industries with non-traditional hiring sites such as Agricultural, Hospitality, Construction, Food Processing, Staffing and Restaurants. In order to determine if the App’s design and functionality serves the needs identified by these employer communities and justifies additional investment and development, USCIS wishes to have users test the functions and usability of the App.

USCIS will have up to 2000 test accounts available for use through Apple TestFlight. If less than 2000 users volunteer, all will be included. If more than 2000 users volunteer, USCIS will accept the first 2000 participants⁵ who respond to the USCIS invitation to participate in testing.

To identify users, USCIS will post to E-Verify an “E-Verify Alert” (alert) message announcing and inviting currently enrolled E-Verify users to participate in usability testing. The alert will also advise users that as a condition of participating, USCIS must send an email to the user through Apple TestFlight to provide access to the App. Users must provide permission for USCIS to use the user’s email address to communicate through TestFlight or they will be unable to participate in testing.⁶

Users will have one week to respond to the alert and will be instructed to send an e-mail to a USCIS indicating their interest in participating in usability testing and their willingness to allow USCIS to use their e-mail address to communicate through TestFlight. Users will have the option to specify the e-mail address that USCIS should use in TestFlight. If the user does not request to participate in testing and provide this permission, they will not be included in the test group.

Users may terminate their test participation at any time by deleting the App from their device or by terminating their participation using the TestFlight App Details page.

USCIS will send all volunteers who respond to the alert an automatically generated email response that provides a thorough explanation of the App and usability testing program.⁷

At the end of the one-week response period, USCIS will send the volunteers an email through Apple TestFlight inviting them to join the testing group.⁸ The email will contain instructions and information for downloading TestFlight and the App. To participate in testing the user will first install TestFlight app from the App Store on their iPad. Users must agree to abide by the TestFlight terms and conditions.⁹ Once they have downloaded the TestFlight app, testers can download the E-Verify App. Once the App is installed, TestFlight will notify testers each time an App update is available. Testers can easily offer feedback by tapping the Provide Feedback button in the App Details view in TestFlight.

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

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

Feedback will be collected through TestFlight when users tap the Provide Feedback button. User feedback is directly transmitted to USCIS. It is not retained by TestFlight or Apple Inc.

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

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

1 A native application is a service or program which has been coded and developed on a particular platform or device. The E-Verify App has been developed for the iOS platform and will be usable on Apple devices.

2 TestFlight is a free online service owned by Apple Inc. that allows developers to beta test new products and collect feedback from users prior to publicly releasing a product. Users cannot test a product through Apple TestFlight without an invitation provided by the product owner.

3 Apple TestFlight provides up to 2000 test accounts to developers for usability testing. USCIS is unable to determine the final number of individuals who will participate in usability testing because we have not yet implemented the testing protocols.

4 Case processing estimate was drawn from the June 11, 2015 Supporting Statement for E-Verify which was published in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. A copy of the statement can be found at http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=USCIS-2007-0023-0048.

5 The order of participants will be determined by the date stamp of the email message that users submit in response to USCIS’s usability testing opportunity invitation.

6 Usability Acceptance Testing Protocol: Section 1.0

7 Usability Acceptance Testing Protocol: Section 2.0

8 Usability Acceptance Testing Protocol: Section 3.0

9 In addition to viewing the TestFlight terms and conditions through the App, users may review the terms and conditions in English and Spanish at http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/testflight/us/terms.html.

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