U.S. Census Bureau

A Usability Evaluation of the Economic Census Web Site

Jennifer Romano & Elizabeth Murphy

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ABSTRACT

In August 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau Statistical Research Division (SRD) conducted usability testing to evaluate the newly designed Economic Census (Econ) Web site. The testing evaluated the success and satisfaction of seven externally recruited participants with the Web site. Usability testing revealed several usability problems, including lack of visibility for the top navigation bar, non-informative information on the main page and multiple confusing ways to retrieve data. Recommendations were provided to the Econ team. This report provides a complete summary of the findings of this usability evaluation. Recommendations are provided to improve the usability of and satisfaction with the Economic Census Web site.

CITATION: Romano, Jennifer and Murphy, Elizabeth. A Usability Evaluation of the Economic Census Web Site. Statistical Research Division Study Series (Survey Methodology #2008-11). U.S. Census Bureau.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Research Division

Created: October 19, 2008
Last revised: September 18, 2008