Statement of Work for RFQ2611980.pdf

1 | P a g e Statement of Work for Usability Testing of NIMH DIRP Website

Statement of Work for the

Usability Testing of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Division of Intramural Research Programs (DIRP) Website

Introduction National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is conducting an evaluation of its website for the Division of

Intramural Research Programs (DIRP) (http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov), including webpages for labs and core facilities. To better understand how users interact and navigate through the DIRP website, we are assessing the effectiveness of the website design, layout, content, and general usability of the information provided to the public and other NIMH DIRP stakeholders. The proposed evaluation will identify usability problems with the NIMH DIRP website, collect data on how users expect information to be organized, and determine user satisfaction.

Background Information The website to be evaluated is the NIMH DIRP website. Launched in 2004, the NIMH DIRP website serves as the principal resource for communicating and disseminating information about the Division of

Intramural Research Programs (DIRP) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which is the internal research division of the NIMH. The NIMH DIRP website supports the functions of the DIRP by serving as a national portal and repository of information for NIMH DIRP staff, professionals and students interested in research training opportunities, consumers interested in participating in NIMH

DIRP research studies, and the general public interested in NIMH DIRP research areas and results as well as employment opportunities.

The primary goal of the website is to provide relevant information to a wide range of audiences, or stakeholders, in a way that is (1) well-organized; (2) understandable, usable and useful; and (3) accessible.

Scope The purpose of this procurement is to evaluate the NIMH DIRP internet website. The usability testing will be conducted by a contractor with significant expertise and an established track record in web design, user research, usability testing for health related websites, including expert review and web engagement strategies.

The usability test will assess the content, layout, and navigation of the homepage and landing pages to identify any usability problems. The study will be accomplished in three phases: expert review, card sorting, and usability testing.

First, web design and navigation experts will conduct a heuristic review of the website and provide feedback regarding the user interface design that may not surface during the usability testing or may interfere with users completing their tasks. The findings will be documented and design recommendations will be provided for potential revisions.

Second, a sample of 60-80 key users will be recruited to participate in a card sorting exercise to better inform logical and intuitive content organization and navigation. Current researchers and research staff http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/

2 | P a g e from each NIMH DIRP Branch/Division, as well as DIRP trainees/fellows, will be asked to participate.

Because the participants are federal employees, OMB clearance is not required.

Third, a mock-up website incorporating the card sort results will be created and tested for usability. Up to

6 of each of the following user groups will be recruited: Researchers, families and/or individuals affected by mental illness, practitioners, and students. The users will be presented with different scenarios and asked to complete real tasks on the website. During this process, each user talks so that observers can understand what the user is thinking or expecting and the computer tracks the user’s navigation patterns.

Trained observers will track stumbling points and identify the gap between how the design functions and how users think. These usability testing sessions will collect data about specific task success, speed of performance, and user satisfaction. OMB Clearance will not be required because unique usability scenarios, or protocols, will be used for each user group and each group will include only 6 non-Federal participants.

The usability testing will be conducted at the HHS usability test lab because it is available to us at no cost.

The usability results will be analyzed, usability and user experience issues will be identified, and enhancement solutions will be provided in a final report.

The results of the evaluation will be used to make improvements to the NIMH DIRP website (e.g., navigation, layout, landing and content pages

Tasks

1. Usability Testing of NIMH DIRP Internet Website (homepage, landing and content pages)

A contractor will assess the usability of the Internet website. The key tasks include:

a. Conduct an expert review of the site to identify any aspects of the site that may interfere with users completing usability testing

b. Recruit 60-80 -federal participants for a card sorting exercise for organization and navigation.

c. Coordinate participant recruiting and scheduling

d. Create prototype Web pages incorporating findings from card-sorting exercises and test usability ofprototypes. Prototypes should follow basic design of NIMH HQ website (www.nimh.nih.gov);

in addition, prototypes for lab/facility pages should include webpage areas that permit branding for labs/facilities.

e. Recruit up to 6 participants from each of the following key user groups: researchers, families and/or individuals affected by mental illness, practitioners, and students.

f. Develop a unique usability testing protocol (i.e., realistic tasks for users to complete during testing) for each stakeholder group

g. Coordinate second round of participant recruiting and scheduling

h. Conduct usability testing sessions with participants

i. Analyze the results

j. Prepare a findings report and a summary report for senior management http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

3 | P a g e

Estimated Timelines

NIMH DIRP Website Evaluation Tasks/Deliverables Timeline/

Duration

Project kickoff 1 week

Finalize work plan 1 week

Conduct heuristic review of website design and navigation 2 weeks

Written summary and recommendations of the expert review 1 week

Develop card sort protocol and testing tool 2 weeks

Recruitment of participants for card sorting 2 weeks

Conduct card sort exercises 2 weeks

Analyze data and create mock-up site based on card sort results 4 weeks

Develop protocols/test scenarios and moderator’s guide for usability testing 2 weeks

Recruitment of user groups for usability testing 2 weeks

Conduct usability testing 1weeks

Data analysis 2 weeks

Written summary and recommendations of evaluation 2 weeks

Briefing for NIMH of findings and recommendations 1 week

Total 25 weeks