Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Jakob Nielsen’s research has found that the organization of concepts on a webpage affects the usability of a website. Data is often placed in areas of the webpage, which “hide” the data or make it difficult to find data. Cognitive testing of the disability information presented on the US Census Bureau’s website suggested a direction for the webpage redesign. Of the prototypes tested, two prototypes underwent further testing for usability concerns. The first prototype was based upon the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website. The BLS website, which was recently redesigned, underwent usability testing with the current website as the “winner”. The second prototype was an altered-version of the Census Bureau’s homepage. This type of layout helps to maintain consistency from page to page and provides the user with some familiarity. Tests of the first and second-level pages revealed the usability of the pages for volunteers of different demographic and expertise levels. This study will help us determine the optimal layout and the usefulness of the way in which the data is presented for these types of web pages. Through increased usability testing, information already available on the Internet can be made more readily visible. In the future, we hope to test the usability of these prototypes with the aid of an eye-tracking device to help us further evaluate the methods users develop to locate data.

Publication Type: Hands-on Sessions
Abstract: This is a special meeting of members of the Guidelines Trainer's Bureau.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In 2007, a National Academies panel was convened to examine the full range of the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) programs in order to assess and make recommendations for its data collection priorities. The goal of the panel's work was to assist the Bureau of Justice Statistics to refine its priorities and goals, as embodied in its strategic plan and to recommend ways to improve the impact and cost-effectiveness of the agency's statistics on crime and the criminal justice system. A focus of the panel's work in the first year was to consider options for conducting the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which is the largest BJS program. This paper will describe the findings and conclusions regarding the NCVS that were produced during the first year and, if completed, the conclusions of the full study.

Publication Type: Paper/Poster Proposal
Abstract: The U.S. Census Bureau is the preeminent collector and provider of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. With its goal “To provide the best mix of timeliness, relevancy, quality and cost for the data we collect and services we provide”, it was natural for the Census Bureau to turn to Information Technology to achieve this goal. During 2000, we began experimenting with portal technology to improve the quality of our data and business processes.

As part of the Quality program, we needed a vehicle to communicate and share knowledge about quality throughout the organization. We established a portal that would provide users with the quality standards and best practices while also providing a repository for documents that others could use in developing their quality components. At the same time, we saw an opportunity to link quality with another major process improvement activity – the Project Management Initiative. We designed the Quality and the Project Management Portals using Oracle WebDB. We modified these portals over the last two years based on customer feedback. The portals provide a way to manage data quality and share best practices, standards, and guidelines.

As we progressed with the use of portals, we began designing portals to help analysts improve their work processes. These two survey portals give analysts the ability to easily review data from disparate sources, compare data from multiple surveys on one screen, annotate analytical reports electronically and share notes across reports, as well integrate search results from multiple engines. The final release of these portals is now available for analysts to use while analyzing their survey data.

This presentation will demonstrate portal technology, provide background about how we developed the sites and highlight how we used customer feedback and lessons learned through this process.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Contact person: Anna Y. Chan, Center for Survey Methods Research, Statistical Research Division, U.S. Census Bureau, STOP 9100, 4700 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233-9100; phone (301) *457-8462; fax (301) *457-4931; email: anna.y.chan@census.gov


New Data Resource for Studying the Well-Being of Foreign-Born Population -U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. immigrant population grew rapidly during the 1990s. In 2000, there were 31 million immigrants in the United States, representing 11 percent- of its population. Today, one in four low-wage workers and one in five US. residence without health insurance is foreign-born. One in four low income children is the child of an immigrant. These and other recent immigration-led demographic changes have profound implications for immigrant families and workers. They raised important considerations across a broad spectrum of policy areas – from health and welfare to employment and housing.

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) is a nationally-representative, interviewer-administered, longitudinal survey (9 waves, three-year panel) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It provides data on income, wealth, and poverty in the United States, the dynamics of program participation, and the effects of government programs on families and individuals. Currently, a new series of nativity, citizenship and language questions is being tested for the core section of the 2004 SIPP instrument. Unlike other Census data that are cross sectional in nature, (such as Current Population Survey which also includes similar information), the new SIPP data along with its current migration history data, will allow researchers to examine the impact of social programs on the economic well-being of households or some of causal factors associated with changes in the poverty rates, health care coverage and program usage of the foreign born. This paper will present the preliminary findings using these new content collected in the SIPP 2002 field test.