Template

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0960-0788)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: FAQ Web Pages and Alternative Designs Focus Group

PURPOSE:

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) online Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are a mission-critical online service. The FAQs help SSA constituents accomplish the task for which they are contacting SSA by providing information and instructions in the form of online answers. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, the public viewed or visited our FAQs Internet site more than 27 million times.

Our objective is to provide the public with an FAQ site that is easy to understand, navigate, and helps users quickly and efficiently find the information and services they are seeking. For this particular research project, we will elicit input from the public via focus groups.

Survey Details

Who will conduct the survey? An SSA-approved contractor.

Where will we conduct the survey? In the Baltimore-Washington area.

When will we conduct the survey? October – December 2011.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Individuals approximately 45-64 years old, comfortable with using the Internet; a representative mix in terms of race, gender, income and education (see below for more detail on participants/respondents).

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[x] 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:____Liz Davidson, Director, Center for Reports Clearance, Social Security Administration______________________

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 [ X ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ X ] Yes [ ] No Respondents will not be paid for their participation.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
Individuals	60	90	90
--	--	--	--
Totals	60	90	90

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $76,000.

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?

The participant selection criterion for this research is as follows:

• Ages 45-64 (this is, based on current SSA data) the age range for most of our online visitors;

• Individuals who are comfortable with using the Internet;

• Approximately one-half who have visited SSA’s website; and one-half who have not.

• Non SSA-employees or others with some official connection to SSA (e.g., DDS employees, contractors, family members of such individuals, etc.); and,

• A representative mix in terms of race, gender, income and education.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ X] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain - Survey Sheet/Questionnaire

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

How will we conduct the survey?

We will conduct a series of usability sessions/focus groups to evaluate the current design of the SSA FAQ home page and the content and structure of the answers pages.

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

5