Web Usability Study for CDC's Radiation Emergencies Website

Form approved
OMB No: 0920-1050
Expiration Date: 6/30/2019

Attachment C: Public Interview Guide

1. BACKGROUND/CONTEXT

   1. Hello I am [MODERATOR’S NAME]. You are being asked to participate in an interview being conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the assistance of Oak Ridge Associated Universities. In the interview, you will be asked your opinions about CDC’s radiation emergencies website. Your answers can improve efforts to provide accurate, helpful information to the public. Your name will not be used in the final report. No statement you make will be linked to you by name. Only members of the research staff will be allowed to look at the records. When we present this study or publish its results, your name or other facts that point to you will not show or be used. Do you have any questions before we begin the interview?

   2. Please tell me your first name and what your favorite hobby is.

Today we will be talking about information you might receive for various types of radiation emergencies. Emergencies include nuclear power plant accidents or an explosion of what’s called an “Improvised Nuclear Device” or “IND” built and set off by terrorists. CDC and I know that this is not a pleasant thing to think about, but like many natural and man-made disasters, it’s better to be prepared than to go “off the cuff” in an emergency.

1. What do you think of when you hear the words “radiation emergency?” What do you think that is?

2. What concerns or questions would you have if a radiation emergency occurred?

3. What type of information would you need to address your concerns? Advice? Facts? Other?

4. When would you look for this information about radiation emergencies?

   1. [before the emergency, during the emergency, after the emergency?]

   2. If an emergency happened outside the country, in another state, in your state?

   3. What else would prompt you to look for this information?

5. If a radiation emergency occurred, what method would you most likely use to get information? Cell phone, tablet, television, radio or other?

6. Where would you go to get information about radiation emergencies?

   1. Are there certain people you talk to? Websites you use? TV channels? Other?

2. TESTING WEBSITE

I’d like to ask you to use this website to find information you might need about radiation emergencies. To give you some background, radiation emergencies may be intentional (terrorist related) or unintentional. Intentional or terrorist acts could involve introducing radioactive material into the food or water supply, using explosives (like dynamite) to scatter radioactive materials (called a “dirty bomb”), bombing or destroying a nuclear facility, or exploding a small nuclear device. Unplanned emergencies include nuclear reactor accidents and transportation accidents (unintentional spill of radioactive material from a truck or train).

Homepage

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/

1. What is the first thing you would do on this website?

1. [Where would you look on this page for information about getting prepared for a radiation emergency?]

2. Is the layout of the homepage helpful to you? Do the categories/navigation make sense? What would you expect to find if you clicked [here]?

1. 4 images and brief text

• Family watching TV

• Doctor and patient

• Owner washing pet

• Pregnant woman and healthcare provider

2. Icons with rollovers [realize clickable? Can users navigate between Get Inside, Stay Inside, Stay Tuned pages?]

• Get Inside

• Stay Inside

• Stay Tuned

3. Text Blocks and Images

• Protect Yourself and Your Family

• Radiation and Health Effects

• Information for Professionals

4. Quick Links

5. Highlights/What’s New

6. Left navigation items

You have heard there has been a radiation emergency near your area, using the left navigation bar on this page https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/index.asp where would you go to learn more about how to remove radiation? Target Pages:

What to Do During a Radiation Emergency –Stay Inside- https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/stayinside.asp

How to Self-Decontaminate after a Radiation Emergency https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/selfdecon_wash.asp

[For each participant, have them complete at least 2 of the tasks below. ROTATE TASKS SO EACH TASK IS LOOKED AT BY AT LEAST 9 PARTICIPANTS]

Task 1

Your job involves being in your car for most of the day and you would like to know what to do if you are in your vehicle if a radiation emergency occurs. Where would you go to learn more about what to do if you are in your vehicle during a radiation emergency? Target pages:

What to Do During a Radiation Emergency: Get Inside

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/getinside.asp

Frequently Asked Questions about Radiation Emergencies

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/emergencyfaq.asp

While the user is clicking through the website, ask the following questions about content. The full list of questions can be dispersed throughout the entire conversation, as time will not allow all questions to be asked with regard to each of the pages.

1. What information is most important for you?

2. What do you think about the labels and naming of things?

3. What do you think about how the information is organized?

4. What do you think about how the information is presented?

5. Is this the right level of detail that you need? Do you want more or less information?

6. How do you like to view information? In what form?

7. What formats would you like to see here? How would you use them?

   1. Do certain formats work better for some types of information? (Bullets, paragraphs, charts, images, video, other?)

8. What else would you like to see here?

9. What would you do with this information?

10. How likely are you to follow these directions for what to do during a radiation emergency?

    1. [Would you go inside? Stay inside/shelter in place? Pick up your relative from school/hospital?]

    2. Why or why not?

11. What specifically would you do next?

12. Does this website give you information you need to stay safe in a radiation emergency?

13. Would you share this information? How? With whom?

14. What features could help you use/share this information?

15. Is there anything you are unclear about? Does the content make sense?

16. Is any information missing?

17. How could this information be more useful to you?

[REPEAT QUESTIONS IN BLUE FOR TASK 2-4]

Task 2

You are watching the news after a radiation emergency and the reporter mentions that some people may be contaminated while others may have been exposed to radiation. Where would you go to learn more about the difference?

Target pages:

Possible Health Effects of Radiation Exposure and Contamination

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/healtheffects.asp

Contamination Vs. Exposure

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/contamination.asp

[REPEAT QUESTIONS IN BLUE FROM TASK 1]

Task 3

A radiation emergency has occurred during the day near your community along the route of the school bus for your child. Where would you go to find out what to do about your children if they are away from home during a radiation emergency? Target pages:

Radiation Emergencies—What Should I Do?

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/index.asp

What to Do During a Radiation Emergency: Get Inside

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/getinside.asp

[REPEAT QUESTIONS IN BLUE FROM TASK 1]

Task 4

After a radiation emergency has taken place, you are concerned about the types of treatments available and the risks. Where would you go to find information that would be helpful?

Target pages:

Radiation Emergencies and Your Health

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/healthandsafety.asp

Medical Countermeasures: Treatments for Radiation Emergencies

https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/countermeasures.asp

[REPEAT QUESTIONS IN BLUE FROM TASK 1]

3. WRAP-UP

1. What are your overall impressions of this website I’ve shown you today?

   1. What did you like best about the Radiation Emergencies website?

   2. What did you like least about the website?

2. What do you think of the graphics?

   1. Are they appropriate for the content?

   2. Are there any graphics that do not enhance the content?

   3. Are there areas where more graphics should be included?

3. How easy was it to navigate through the website?

4. Are there any pages where the headings may not reflect the page content for easy access?

5. How likely are you to use this in the future?

   1. What do you think you would use it for? When?

   2. What one or two things could make this more useful?

6. Is there anything else you can tell me about how this site could be better for you?

Those are all my questions. Thank you so much for all of your feedback. It was really helpful! If you would like further information on radiation emergencies, please refer to our current website, https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/

CDC estimates the average public reporting burden for this collection of information as 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data/information sources, gathering and maintaining the data/information needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-1050)