DC-AAPOR presents a

Workshop on Usability Testing for Survey Research

Instructors: Emily Geisen, RTI International & Jennifer Romano Bergstrom, Instagram

Usability testing in survey research allows in-depth evaluation of how respondents and interviewers interact with questionnaires, particularly web and mobile surveys. A respondent may understand the survey question and response options, but may be unable to select their answer accurately on the small screen of a smartphone. Although there is a growing body of literature on best practices for web and mobile surveys, not all design guidelines work equally well for all surveys and all survey populations. In addition, it is clear that the capabilities of computerized surveys are constantly emerging. Examples are the use of images, videos, maps and GPS, interactive features, and mobile devices. As a result, it is critical for researchers to have the necessary tools to evaluate, test, and modify surveys to incorporate user-centered design in an iterative method as part of the survey pretesting process.

All registered attendees will receive a copy of the instructors' book "Usability Testing for Survey Research."

Non-member registration fees include membership in DC-AAPOR.

Intended Audience:

Anyone conducting web or mobile surveys.

Workshop Objectives:

After this workshop, students will be able to:

• Identify potential usability concerns with surveys
• Incorporate iterative user-centered design and testing into survey development process
• Plan and moderate user testing to improve design of surveys
• Analyze and revise surveys to improve usability

The Instructors:

Emily Geisen, Survey Methodologist, Usability and Cognitive Laboratory Manager, RTI International

Emily Geisen specializes in designing and evaluating survey instruments to improve data quality and reduce respondent burden. She teaches a graduate course on Questionnaire Design at the University of North Carolina. As a survey methodologist, she has conducted hundreds of usability tests on a variety of projects, including the 2020 Census questionnaires. Emily developed a short course (with Jen) on Usability Testing for Survey Researchers that was taught at the 2016 AAPOR annual conference, the 2016 International Conference on Questionnaire, Design, Development, Evaluation and Testing, and the 2017 European Survey Research Association conference. She recently published the book Usability Testing for Survey Research in March 2017. She is currently serving as the Associate Membership and Chapter Relations chair for AAPOR. Emily received her M.S. in Survey Methodology from the University of Michigan’s Program in Survey Methodology where she was an Angus Campbell fellow.

Jen Romano Bergstrom, Experimental Psychologist; UX Research Lead, Facebook/Instagram; President, UXPA International

Jen has over 12 years of experience planning, conducting and managing user centered research projects. She is currently a UX Researcher at Facebook/Instagram, where she works to understand the UX of Facebook and Instagram in emerging markets. Jen specializes in efficient applications of empirical methods to ensure quality is not lost while working fast to get actionable results. In addition to being a skilled UX researcher and practitioner, Jen specializes in eye tracking, survey design, experimental design, and cognitive aging. Jen frequently presents research and novel methods at academic and industry conferences, and she publishes in peer-reviewed journals, magazines and blogs. She is co-author (with Emily) of Usability Testing for Survey Research (2017) and co-author/editor of Eye Tracking in User Experience Design (2014). She has served on User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) boards for several years – currently as the President of the International UXPA, and previously Director of Marketing and Communications, as well as President, Vice President, and Conference Chair for UXPA-DC. Jen received a Ph.D. and M.A. in Applied/Experimental Psychology from The Catholic University of America and a B.A. in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University.

Questions:

Please contact the event organizer, Douglas Williams at douglaswilliams@Westat.com.