Fast Track GenIC Submission Form - Usability testing for the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse website

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0970-0401)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Usability testing for the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse website

PURPOSE: The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) requests to continue ongoing usability testing to support the maintenance of and improvements to the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse website (pathwaystowork.acf.hhs.gov). This information collection was originally approved under this umbrella generic (0970-0401) in April 2019. ACF tested one enhancement and this request is to test additional enhancements with additional respondents. The instrument has only minor wording changes as compared to the previously approved instrument and the purposes and uses of data collected are consistent with the previous approval.

OPRE released the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse website in April 2020. The website is designed to help practitioners, policymakers, and researchers easily access and understand the effectiveness of interventions that aim to improve employment outcomes for job seekers with low incomes. The website is a single source for information on more than 177 interventions based on over 246 individual studies, with new reviews underway. As part of this project, the team is regularly developing and releasing enhancements to the website to display additional content and better meet the needs of end users.

This information request is to conduct usability testing of the website throughout the remainder of the contract period. The usability testing will allow us to identify opportunities to improve the overall performance of the website and to test new features prior to deployment to ensure that they are useful and intuitive to our users. The information collected from our customers and stakeholders will help ensure that users have an effective, efficient, and satisfying experience with the website. We anticipate testing up to three enhancements to the site. We also anticipate conducting up to two rounds of testing after releasing an enhancement to understand what additional modifications or enhancements might further improve the user experience.

For each round of testing, we plan to test with three to five users representing the site’s different audiences. During the tests, we will evaluate the site on four usability dimensions:

1. Efficiency. Do testers find it easy to complete tasks? This will be measured by time spent on task.

2. Success rate. Can testers complete tasks? This will be measured as the percentage of test participants who complete tasks successfully without critical errors.

3. Accuracy. Are testers able to complete tasks correctly? This will be measured depending on the task at hand. For example, can they find relevant results for their search?

4. Satisfaction. Are testers satisfied with their experience? This will be measured qualitatively, based on tester feedback and facilitator’s observations of testers’ struggles and success.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: The primary audience for the website will be workforce services practitioners, including individuals at the state and local levels, who contribute to decision making about services provided to low-income workers. Individuals from these groups will make up the main group of usability testers.

Secondary audiences for the website are policymakers, including federal staff, and researchers. We will include a few individuals from these groups in the usability testing.

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: Kim Clum, Senior Social Science Analyst, OPRE_________________________________

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

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) 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 (minutes)	Burden (hours)
Private sector	5	60	5
State, local, or tribal governments	20	60	20
Totals	25	Avg = 60	25

1. FEDERAL COST: Annual costs to the Federal government will be approximately $14,997 for this proposed data collection.

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

2. 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?

We have developed a list of TANF administrators, employment and training service providers, and related stakeholders with an interest in Pathways. For each round of testing, we will identify three to five people from that list who have not participated in previous usability tests and who represent diverse perspectives (e.g., TANF administrator versus policy maker). We will then reach out to them to schedule the tests. We will identify a replacement for anyone who is not available to participate in that particular round of usability testing.

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

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

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