Medium-Fidelity Usability Evaluation for the American Community Survey Website

The American Community Survey (ACS) website provides supplementary information about ACS participation and about ACS data (e.g., data collection, data utilization, survey procedures, etc.). Additionally, the ACS website is a portal to the American Fact Finder (AFF) for access to ACS data. The U.S. Census Bureau is undergoing a new initiative to change the look and feel of Census sites, and various design features have been modified on a web based prototype for the redesigned American Community Survey (ACS) website, including navigational tools and layout. Feedback on whether users of the site would be able to obtain the information they need given the new design features was warranted. The site was tested in its early stages of development using a web-based prototype with limited functionality (i.e., medium-fidelity). Eye tracking was incorporated in the evaluation of the site to gain an in-depth understanding of users’ visual interaction and to add support to observed findings. In addition, differences in eye-fixation duration on Areas of Interest during optimal task performance and non-optimal task performance were explored.