Web Evaluation at the US National Institutes of Health: Use of the American Customer Satisfaction Index Online Customer Survey
2008

Evaluating NIH Websites Using Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Sample size: 55 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Fred B Wood, Elliot R Siegel, Sue Feldman, Cynthia B Love, Dennis Rodrigues, Mark Malamud, Marie Lagana, Jennifer Crafts

Primary Institution: National Institutes of Health

Hypothesis

The project aims to assess the value added to NIH websites by using the ACSI online survey.

Conclusion

The enterprise-wide experiment was successful, confirming the value of online customer surveys for evaluating NIH websites.

Supporting Evidence

  • 55 out of 60 NIH websites implemented the ACSI survey.
  • 42 websites generated sufficient data for formal reporting.
  • NIH websites scored higher on customer satisfaction compared to government and private sector benchmarks.

Takeaway

The NIH used a special survey to ask people how happy they were with their websites, and most people said they liked them a lot.

Methodology

The evaluation included pre-project website profiles, email surveys, interviews with website staff, and observations of meetings.

Potential Biases

Low-traffic websites may not generate sufficient survey responses, leading to potential bias.

Limitations

The study was observational and not experimental, and many websites did not participate long enough for complete redesign cycles.

Participant Demographics

The study included a broad cross-section of NIH websites, with varying traffic and user demographics.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.2196/jmir.944

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