FR3076_20180625_omb

Supporting Statement for the
Board Public Website Usability Surveys
(FR 3076; OMB No. 7100-0366)
Summary
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), under delegated
authority from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), proposes to extend, without
revision, the Board Public Website Usability Surveys (FR 3076; OMB No. 7100-0366). The
Board uses the survey to seek input (1) from users or potential users of the Board’s public
website1 and social media tools, (2) about the Board’s outreach, and (3) about other
communication tools used by Board. The survey is offered to a diverse audience of consumers,
banks, media, government, educators, and others. Responses to the survey are used to help
improve the usability and offerings on the Board’s public website and other online public
communications.2
The FR 3076 is composed of two parts: surveys and focus groups. The frequency of the
survey and content of the questions varies as needs arise for feedback on different Board
resources and from different audiences.3 The FR 3076 surveys may be conducted up to 12 times
per year. In addition, the Board plans to conduct up to four focus group sessions per year. The
annual burden is estimated to be 420 hours.
Background and Justification
The Board’s Office of Board Members communicates through the Board’s public website
with the Congress, other government agencies, the public, economic educators, economists,
financial institutions, financial literacy groups, and community development groups.
Communication of vast amounts of information can take the form of video, photos, and social
media. The Board strives to ensure that all online communications provide an up-to-date,
accurate, and comprehensive body of information to support the Board’s missions, strategic
objectives, and public outreach initiatives.
A 2012 Presidential Memorandum stated that, “to enable data-driven decisions on service
performance, government agencies will be required to use analytics and customer satisfaction
1

See http://www.federalreserve.gov/.
Certain criteria apply to information collections conducted via the Board’s ad hoc clearance process. Such
information collections shall (1) be vetted by the Board’s clearance officer as well as the Division director
responsible for the information collection, (2) display the OMB control number and inform respondents that the
information collection has been approved, (3) be voluntary, (4) not be used to substantially inform regulatory actions
or policy decisions, (5) be conducted only and exactly as described in the OMB submission, (6) involve only
noncontroversial subject matter that will not raise concerns for other Federal agencies, (7) include information
collection instruments that are used only once, (8) include a detailed justification of the effective and efficient
statistical survey methodology utilized (if applicable), and (9) collect personally identifiable information (PII) only
to the extent necessary (if collecting PII, the form must display a current privacy act notice). In addition, for each
information collection instrument, respondent burden will be tracked and submitted to OMB.
3
Different Board resources include web-content or proposed web content, a new web application search function, a
major change in offerings of data formats or restructuring of content on the website.
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measurement tools on all .gov websites within 6 months.”4
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) also issued a statement that “agencies
should ensure that they collect, analyze, and report on a minimum baseline set of performance
and customer satisfaction measures. It’s important to collect a variety of metrics—not just visits
or page views—to get a holistic picture of how well you’re delivering your digital services and
information.”5
In accordance the Presidential directive and GSA recommendation, the Board would
survey website visitors about their web experience and needs to gain insight to help improve the
usability and offerings of the Board’s website. More specifically, the survey would enable the
Board to conduct periodic reviews and evaluations of web materials and develop and evaluate
web materials under consideration for outreach.
Description of Information Collection
The FR 3076 is used to gather qualitative and quantitative information directly from users
or potential users of the Board’s website such as the Congress, other government agencies, the
public, economic educators, economists, financial institutions, financial literacy groups, and
community development groups and more. Participation is voluntary.
The FR 3076 may seek information from users or potential users of various Board web
pages, including press releases, data releases and downloads, reports, supervision manuals,
brochures, new web pages, audio, video, and use of social media. Information gathered may also
include general input on users’ interests and needs, feedback on website navigation and layout,
distribution channels, or other factors which may affect the ability of users to locate and access
content online.
Qualitative surveys conducted using the FR 3076 would include data gathering methods
such as focus groups and individual interviews. Quantitative surveys conducted using the
FR 3076 would include surveys conducted online or via mobile device, by phone or by mail, emails, or a combination of these methods. The Board may contract with an outside vendor to
conduct focus groups, interviews, or surveys, or the Board may collect the data directly.
As the Board’s public website continues to evolve, the Board may seek input from users
or potential users of Board’s public website on questions such as the following:






Did you find the content and layout relevant and of value?
How did you find the content you were looking for?
Was the navigation useful?
How did you learn about the content?
How did you access the content? (e.g.: paper copy distributed at an event, online, or
mobile device). If online or through a mobile device, was the document printed, viewed

4

See https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/egov/digital-government/digitalgovernment.html.
5
See http://www.digitalgov.gov/services/dap/dap-digital-metrics-guidance-and-best-practices/.

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


on a tablet, or on a computer screen?
What suggestions do you have for improving the format and appearance of online
presentation? (e.g.: readability - font size, charts, and graphs; organization of
information; and navigating - indexing, search tools, and links)
What other information would be of value to enhance the online tool or information?

Time Schedule for Information Collection and Publication
The time schedules for the collection and analysis of data and distribution of results for
each survey is determined during the planning phase prior to the start of the data collection.
Before data collection begins, the voluntary respondents would be given an explanation of the
purpose of the survey and how the data would be used. Such information may be provided on
the survey instrument or through communication from the Board or a contractor or partner
working with the Board. The data may be grouped with responses from other surveys. The
Board does not anticipate releasing or publishing the data but may share the data with Federal
Reserve Banks, contractors, or other outside parties that the Board may collaborate with in
producing or disseminating publications, or in evaluating online communication efforts.
Legal Status
The Board uses its website and social media to communicate important information to the
public about a variety of different issues. The Board is required to provide certain information
on its website. For example, under section 2B of the Federal Reserve Act the Board is required
to provide certain reports, audits, and other information that “the Board reasonably believes is
necessary or helpful to the public in understanding the accounting, financial reporting, and
internal controls of the Board and the Federal reserve banks” (12 U.S.C. 225b(c)). In addition,
the Board uses its website to provide the public with information about a variety of other matters,
including information about the Board, its actions, and the economy. The responses to the
FR 3076 help the Board determine how to most effectively communicate this information to the
public in order to fulfill its statutory responsibilities. FR 3076 is voluntary. The information
collected by the FR 3076 is not considered to be confidential.
Consultation Outside the Agency
On April 5, 2018, the Board published an initial notice in the Federal Register
(83 FR 14640) requesting public comment for 60 days on the extension, without revision, of the
FR 3076. The comment period for this notice expired on June 4, 2018. The Board did not
receive any comments. On June 21, 2018, the Board published a final notice in the Federal
Register (83 FR 28847).
Estimate of Respondent Burden
The total annual burden for the FR 3076 collection is estimated to be 420 hours, as shown
in the table below. It is anticipated that the information collection would involve as many as
12 surveys. In addition, the Board anticipates conducting up to four focus group sessions per
year. The burden estimates are based on the average number of responses anticipated. These

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reporting requirements represent less than 1 percent of total Federal Reserve System annual
paperwork burden.
Estimated
Annual
average hours
frequency
per response

Number of
Respondents

FR 3076

Surveys
Focus Groups

100
20

12
4

Total

0.25
1.50

Estimated
annual burden
hours
300
120
420

The total cost to the public is estimated to be $10,920.6
Sensitive Questions
Respondents may be asked to provide information on their age and gender; information
on race, if needed, would be collected under guidelines issued by the OMB. Such information
might be needed in a survey in order to assess the extent to which a sample of respondents
reflected views from different demographic groups in the population.
Estimate of Cost to the Federal Reserve System
The annual cost to the Federal Reserve System for this information collection is
estimated to be approximately $28,200.

6

The average consumer cost of $26 is estimated using data from the BLS Economic News Release (USDL-140433) www.bls.gov/news.release/cewqtr.nr0.htm.

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