2008 Coverage Follow-up (CFU) User Interface Usability:
Observations and Recommendations
from Interviewer Review of CFU Wire Frames
Elizabeth D. Murphy
KEY WORDS: Coverage Follow-up, Web-based User Interface, Usability, Scenarios, Wire Frames, User Feedback, User Satisfaction, Design Recommendations
ABSTRACT
On July 24 through July 25, 2006, six experienced telephone interviewers participated in a scenario-based review of mocked-up screens for the 2008 Web-based Coverage Follow-up (CFU) operation. This review took place at the Hagerstown Telephone Center (HTC) in Hagerstown, Maryland, and was facilitated by staff from the U. S. Census Bureau’s usability laboratory. The purpose of the review was to collect initial user feedback on the look and feel of the 2008 CFU user interface as represented in the user-interface design document. Prior to the review sessions, members of the CFU UI design team sequenced the screen mock-ups (“wire frames”) to take the interviewer through four scenarios. Each scenario contained situations of interest to the design team. Navigation through the wire frames was supported by point-and-click interaction only. As needed in some scenarios, the facilitator explained how a non-working function was supposed to work and played the role of the computer in executing sequences of wire frames. At the end of each scenario, the facilitator asked the participant to reflect on the scenario and to describe what worked well and not so well. The participant completed a user satisfaction questionnaire, and a debriefing completed the session. If any observers from Census Headquarters were present, they were encouraged to ask questions during the debriefing. This report provides a summary of findings on each of the design elements that were pre-identified as potentially problematic by the design team. Recommendations are given to improve usability when an issue seems relatively straightforward. The design team discussed all recommendations and submitted a set of changes to the contractor.
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