CPSC Has Used Various Approaches to Inform the Public about SaferProducts.gov, but Has Not Established Metrics to Assess Its Efforts

CPSC’s efforts to promote SaferProducts.gov formed part of a larger  effort to increase the public’s awareness of the agency. Officials said  that media stories promoting the use of SaferProducts.gov have had the  benefit of promoting CPSC as a resource not only for information about  product recalls (for which the agency is most commonly known), but also  as a place where consumers can raise concerns about the safety of  consumer products. Before launching SaferProducts.gov,  CPSC hosted a web conference on January 11, 2011, to inform  interested stakeholders such as consumer groups and the public about  the site’s search function and the information required to submit an  incident report.2011, CPSC promoted the new website through print and other media. However, CPSC does not collect any data about who is using the  site to search for information. In particular, CPSC has not sought to  collect demographic data, such as age, gender, or income. In mandating  this report, Congress required us to assess whether a broad range of the  public uses the site. CPSC collects some data about the categories of persons using  SaferProducts.gov to submit incident reports but does not collect  additional data such as age, gender, or income level of the submitters or  others who use the site to search for information. In addition, standards for internal  control in the federal government state that agencies should have timely,  relevant information for management decision-making purposes.result of its limited data collection about users of the site, CPSC has been  limited in its ability to target its marketing and outreach efforts on specific  groups, populations, or areas to achieve the goal of increasing use of the  site. During the usability tests, consumers experienced fewer challenges using  the reporting function than the search function. For example, some consumers found  information about product recalls the most useful component of the site  and said they would give more weight to this information. Although CPSC has employed many of the key practices for consumer  education planning, it has not established metrics to measure the success  of its efforts. By establishing such metrics, the agency would be better  able to determine which of its outreach efforts had the most impact on  increasing awareness and use of the site and thus could more effectively  target its limited resources to increase use of the site. By improving the  site in these areas, CPSC could help ensure that consumers take  advantage of all the features of the site and are able to search for and  report information in an easy and convenient manner. Recommendations for Executive Action

To improve the awareness, use, and usefulness of SaferProducts.gov,  CPSC should take the following three actions: establish and incorporate metrics to assess efforts to increase  awareness and use of SaferProducts.gov,  look for cost-effective ways of gathering additional data about the  users and their use of SaferProducts.gov, and  implement cost-effective usability improvements to  SaferProducts.gov, taking into account the results of any existing  usability testing or any new testing CPSC may choose to conduct. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of our report were to examine (1) the Consumer Product  Safety Commission’s (CPSC) efforts to inform the public about  SaferProducts.gov, (2) who has been using the website and to what  extent, and (3) the extent to which consumers have found the website to  be useful. In  addition, we reviewed various other website usability resources and  criteria, including Usability.gov, to understand the key practices for  making websites easy to use and helpful.
Why GAO Did This Study

In the wake of increased product recalls in 2007-2008, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). Among other things, CPSIA required CPSC to establish a database on the safety of consumer products that is publicly available, searchable, and accessible through the CPSC website. In response, CPSC launched SaferProducts.gov (http:// www.saferproducts.gov ) in March 2011, which has two main functions--to provide (1) a mechanism for online reporting of product safety issues and (2) the ability to search for these issues or others, such as recalls. CPSIA also required GAO to study the general utility of the website. This report examines (1) CPSC's efforts to inform the public about SaferProducts.gov, (2) who is using the website and to what extent, and (3) the extent to which consumers have found the website to be useful. To do this, GAO analyzed agency documents and data from 2011 to 2012; interviewed CPSC officials, researchers, and consumer and industry groups; reviewed federal standards, guidance, and best practices for website usability; and conducted website usability tests with 37 consumers in three locations.

What GAO Found

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has used various approaches to inform the public about SaferProducts.gov, including using social media, public service announcements, and printed materials, and promoting the site during speeches and events. CPSC's efforts to inform the public about SaferProducts.gov have been part of a larger effort to raise awareness about the agency as a whole. While CPSC has employed many key practices for consumer education planning, it has not established metrics for measuring the success of its efforts. Without such metrics, the agency cannot determine which efforts have had the most impact on increasing awareness and use of the site.
While CPSC collects some data on the category of persons, such as consumers or health care professionals, who submit reports (one of the main functions of the site), it does not collect data about who is using the site to search for information (the other main function). In addition, to minimize the reporting burden on users, CPSC has not asked for demographic data about the users (such as their age, gender, or income level). Therefore, it was difficult for GAO to assess, as mandated by Congress, whether a broad range of the public has used the site. Moreover, without such data, CPSC has been limited in its ability to target its marketing and outreach efforts to increase use of the site.
Many consumers in GAO's usability tests thought the site generally was easy to use and had helpful information, but identified areas for improvement. The consumers generally could perform basic searches and follow instructions to report an unsafe product, and although none were aware of the site before the tests, most said they would use the site again. However, some of the search functions posed challenges. In addition, some consumers expressed concern about registering with the site and said this might prevent them from completing a report. Other consumers were not clear about the site's purpose, thinking it would focus on safe rather than unsafe products. By addressing the usability challenges GAO identified, CPSC could help users take full advantage of all the available features of SaferProducts.gov. Furthermore, cost-effective federal resources exist across the government to help agencies improve the usefulness of their sites.

What GAO Recommends

CPSC should (1) establish and incorporate metrics to assess efforts to increase awareness and use of SaferProducts.gov, (2) look for cost-effective ways of gathering additional data about site use, and (3) implement cost-effective usability improvements to the site. CPSC supported these recommendations.