News

WB&A Helps Consumer Product Safety Commission with Research to Design a User-Friendly Public Database for Searching and Reporting Harmful Products

 

WB&A Market Research played a key role in helping the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to design a database, found at www.saferproducts.gov, in a format which met the needs of many of its constituents.

 

In 2010, we conducted a series of focus groups which included consumers, health professionals, child service providers, public safety officials, government users, and consumer product manufacturers.

 

The focus groups were conducted at facilities containing a computer laboratory where participants were given different scenarios to actually go through the process of submitting a product safety report on the working prototype of the public database. Participants then discussed their experience, screen by screen, identifying any problems they encountered and features they found helpful.

 

Our research covered a wide range of questions from the time needed for a user to file an on-line safety report to the proper sequencing of information requested in the report to whether the on-line system adequately supported those who preferred to complete the form in languages other than English. 

 

We’re very pleased to hear that the database has been so well received and we’re appreciative of the opportunity to work with the CPSC on this research project.

 

Read the July 14, 2011 Consumer Reports article, “The CPSC Database=Transparency in Government.”