Open Disclosure Test Plan

Introduction - Group Discussion/Q&A (15 - 20 minutes):

We're testing a site that Open Oakland volunteers - some of whom are here today - have created. It’s called Open Disclosure. We are trying to gather feedback in order to improve the website. We are testing the site, not you, and there are no wrong answers. Please feel free to mention anything that you see that you like or that you dislike.

We'll start with some Q&A, then have you try out the website.

We'll be done in 30 mins.

We'd like to record if it's OK with you.

Does anyone have questions before we start?

HAVE TESTERS MOVE TO TEST STATIONS WITH MODERATORS

MODERATOR: INTRODUCE SELF AND LEARN TESTER’S NAME

TURN ON SCREEN RECORDING PROGRAM

User Interview (5 - 10 minutes)

  1. Did you follow the news about the Oakland mayoral election last fall?

-  What do they know/remember/find interesting?

-  Candidate platforms? Debates? Campaign financing? Other electoral issues?

-  What are their feelings, attitudes?

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  1. Based on response to #1:
  1. If they demonstrate an interest in the election, ask:

What were the reasons for your interest in the election?

- Is their interest personal? Work-related?

- Are they involved in an organization that has an interest?

  1. If they DON'T express an interest, ask:

What was the last election you followed?

What interested you about that election?

- Is their interest personal? Work-related?

- Are they involved in an organization that has an interest?

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  1. When you followed the election, did you think about how the candidates got money for their campaigns? Is there anything you wondered about?

        - What are their questions about?

- Campaign finance facts and figures?

- The campaign finance process? How candidates raise money? Campaign finance rules/regulations?

- Issues or debates related to campaign finance?

- Something else?

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  1. Where do you think you could find information about this?

- Have they used Open Disclosure?

- Have they read about financing in online news sources?

- Another online source?

- Other offline resources?

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  1. What kind of information would you like to find online about local campaign financing?

        - Campaign finance facts and figures?

- The campaign finance process? How candidates raise money? Campaign finance rules/regulations?

- Issues or debates related to campaign finance?

- Something else?

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Tasks (15 - 20 minutes):

* If user had a question about campaign finance: Start with task A.

* If user did NOT have a question related to campaign finance: Start with B.

  1. Now I'd like you to try an exercise using Open Disclosure. Thinking about [one of the questions the user had], please see if you can use this site to find the answer. Along the way, if you see anything else on the site that you find interesting, feel free to  [point it out/share your thoughts] look at that too.

  1. Now I'd like you to try using Open Disclosure.

                [REMIND THEM TO THINK ALOUD]

Task 1: Imagine you are interested in learning who has donated to Libby Schaaf’s campaign, please see if you can use this site to find the answer. Along the way, if you see anything else on the site that you find interesting, feel free to look at that too.

___ successfully completed        ___ did not complete (note areas of difficulty)

Task 2:  Could you try to find out which candidate raised the most money in your zip code?

___ successfully completed        ___ did not complete (note areas of difficulty)

Task 3: Could you try to find out who started raising money the latest?

___ successfully completed        ___ did not complete (note areas of difficulty)

Task 4: Could you try to find out which candidate gave themselves the most money?

___ successfully completed        ___ did not complete (note areas of difficulty)

Task 5: Ok, now imagine that you found something that you liked or that didn’t work well on the site. Could you try to send some feedback to the site’s creators?

___ successfully completed        ___ did not complete (note areas of difficulty)

        Observe and make note:

Where do they look first? Next?

Where do they think they will find the answer?

Do they find it?

Do they find other information they are interested in?

How long did it take them to reach the information?

How would they return to the homepage?

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If the user completes the tasks prior to the end of the allotted time slot, you can begin to ask the group discussion questions.

AT THE END OF THE ALLOTTED TIME, TURN OFF SCREEN RECORDING PROGRAM, DIRECT TESTER TO DISCUSSION AREA.

Conclusion - Post-test Survey/Group Discussion (10 - 15 mins):

- What was easy, interesting, hard, frustrating?

- Did the site have what they were looking for?

- Was there anything they were expecting to find but didn’t?

- Did it have other useful features?

- Would they come back?

- Would you tell other people about this site or share some of the information from it?

- How would they change it?

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Thank you for volunteering to participate in this Civic User Testing session! Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will help us improve the Open Disclosure webpage for Oaklanders to use for future elections.  If you have any additional ideas or questions about the site after you leave here today, please email cutgroup@openoakland.org.

Direct testers to sign-in table to pick up their gift cards.