Download - CUTGroup 15 - CPS.edu
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Introduction For our fifteenth Civic User Testing session we tested Chicago Public Schools website which had
recently went through a redesign to be more parent focused and mobile device friendly
Target Group
On March 25 we sent out an email to all of our 868 CUTGroup participants We wanted to know if
they would be available for an in-person test on April 1 2015 When segmenting our testers we were interested in
Parents of Chicago Public Schools students with a diverse group of grade levels
A mix of testers with different types of mobile devices
Testers who have lived in Chicago for a long time and testers who are newer to Chicago or their neighborhood
Test Type
In-person test with one-on-one proctors working with testers directly
Testing happened on testersrsquo own mobile devices while proctors asked questions and wrote
down their responses and actions
A few testers tested on a laptop that we provided so we could capture their movements and responses to the test questions
Questions
The CPS website team were interested in testing these things
Find School Information Can parents find a school easily Do they use the School Locator
Do they use the search feature Are parents comfortable using search
Website usability We wanted to discover if there are areas of the website that are
challenging to use
Mobile devices We wanted to learn about how easy it is to visit the CPS website on a mobile
device We wanted to know if parents have visited the CPS website before and learn more
about they get information about schools
1
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Part I Responses Which school(s) do your children attend
Here is a list of schools testers mentioned
Courtenay
Dett School
Durkin Park Elementary
Funston
Hefferan
Holy Trinity
Lane Tech
Nettlehorst
Spencer
Urban Prep
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes or email Here
are the top responses we heard (the number indicates the number of times a response was mentioned)
6 ndash Communications with teachers
2 ndash Weekly email newsletter
2 ndash Facebook groups
2 ndash Other parents
1 ndash Communication with student
1 ndash ParticipatingVolunteer at schools
Do you search online for information about the schools your child(ren) attend
Yes 30 (3)
No 70 (7)
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Here are some responses from our testers
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) shared that her childrsquos school uses the
Remind app (httpswwwremindcom) which is a tool that she feels puts too much burden on
the teachers to communicate to parents In addition Local School Council Member amp Parent of
1 said that she used the website in the Fall to research high schools for her son but it was
difficult to use
2
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched online when he first moved to the area but does not
do it anymore
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of that Usually what people are saying online is usually about the older gradesrdquo
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your
school (Either online or otherwise)
Here are what testers said was the biggest challenge in finding information about their childrsquos school
(number indicates number of times a challenge was mentioned
3 ndash Information is not updated or labeled correctly
2 ndash Lack of communication from teachers or schools
1 ndash Not sure where to find information
1 ndash Unable to find event information
Parent (7) told us ldquoIt isnrsquot a big challenge Just go up to teachers and talk to themrdquo
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) shared about past experiences ldquoYou just donrsquot know
where to find it If I go to the website I donrsquot think itrsquos very user friendly in order to find a
particular schoolrdquo
High School Parent (6) says ldquoFrequently information is not up to date links are broken I
imagine itrsquos hard to feed the content beast It mostly seems to be the same information but I
want to know what makes my school different than the othersrdquo
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
Do you use the CPS parent portal
Yes 20 (2)
No 80 (8)
If so how have you used it
Here are some responses from our testers
3
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoYesrdquo she used it once to see if she could log in but no longer uses it
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said ldquoNordquo because she could not get
information about logging in from the school She does not think itrsquos necessary to see a childrsquos
grade everyday and thinks it is a waste of the teacherrsquos time to post grades every day for ldquoevery
little assignmentrdquo
High School Parent (5) uses it to monitor her childrsquos attendance and grade progress
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) tried once to log in but got locked out
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
If so what do you use the website for
Here are the responses from testers about how they used the CPS website (number indicates the
number of times testers mentioned it)
3 ndash To choose a new school or High School
2 ndash To use the calendar of events
1 ndash To find more information about Local School Councils
1 ndash To learn more about after school programs
Part II Responses
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Here are what testers pointed out when reviewing the homepage (number indicates number of times a
topic of feature was mentioned)
4 ndash Various news stories
4 ndash Search bar
4 ndash ldquoSchoolsrdquo
2 ndash Upcoming news amp events
1 ndash ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash ldquoStaffrdquo
1 ndash Applications for early childhood
1 ndash Social media outlets
1 ndash Calendar
1 ndash Warning banner for site maintenance
1 ndash Community bulletin board
4
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
3 ndash Click ldquoSchoolsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoCalendarrsquo
1 ndash Other Clicked banner
1 ndash Other Click read more on the PARCC article
1 ndash Other Clicked on Memorial Day event
1 ndash Other Looked up Board Meetings
1 ndash Other Typed in daughterrsquos school name
0 ndash Click ldquoTopicsrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoStaffrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoRecommended Resources by Graderdquo
0 ndash Used the Search
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Here are responses from testers about the first thing they did on the CPS website
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose to look at Board Meetings and pointed out
that the last time it was updated was August of 2014 but yet it has a date for two weeks from
now and she thought this was odd
High School Parent (5) clicked the school locator and mentions that it looks different than
it did before ldquoIt doesnrsquot look as welcomingrdquo High School Parent is not sure if she was looking
at ldquopipeline high schoolsrdquo
Parent of k (8) chose the calendar ldquoI wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring
break and what else was happening coming up It is very easy to userdquo
Meekmeek (10) chose the Memorial Day event but the screen never loaded
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in the headlines When clicking on it she
was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to open it but gets an error
message saying that she cannot open the file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you search for and what did you learn
5 testers had positive experiences when searching for information they were interested in learning more
about Here are some of the things we heard
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched for ldquoHigh Schoolrdquo and clicked on the first search
result which lead to an overview of the different types of high schools He shared that these
descriptions were easy to understand
Parent of k (8) used the School Locator to find Spencer Academy Parent of k says ldquoIt is very
easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offeredhellip
I like that they tell you a lot
5
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of Three Girls (9) searched for ldquoreadingrdquo because they wanted their daughter to be
prepared for first grade and was looking for tips Parent of Three Girls clicked on ldquoHome parent
reading tipsrdquo which was exactly what she was looking for She enjoyed the content especially
about using the library as a resource
Three testers had some difficulties during the search Here are some of their experiences
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) was searching for a school but after
adding zip code had a hard time finding the button to search
High School Parent (5) was using a Nexus 5 and had trouble searching for school either by
name or by address High School Parent had to reload the page before being successful
Parent (7) could not find her daughterrsquos school (Dett) but found it later because it was
organized by the full name of the school (Robert Dett)
Did you find what you are looking for
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
How did you search
By clicking on a topic 50 (5)
Using the search function 50 (5)
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information that you found
Three testers Active in the schools (1) Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4)
and Parent (7) all searched for their childrsquos school as the first thing they did after reviewing the
website
Here are some specifics about the information testers found from the School Profile Page
Parent of 2 (2) was most interested in the progress reports but wanted the profile rating to
be clickable and to dig deeper into the metrics
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) learned that her school is Level 1
At first the list of schools did not appear for Meekmeek (10) Meekmeek scrolled very quickly to
find the school but did not see the name After awhile she did find and clicked on the school name but
it did not show the school profile page Eventually she was able to get the next page but it loaded very
slowly
Did you use the School Locator
Yes 60 (6)
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CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
No 40 (4)
Was this an easy experience
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Why or why not
All testers had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school Here are some responses from
testers
Parent (7) says ldquoI typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the schools -
shows what percentage of students are graduatingrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school but
said that it was very slow to load the profile page
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
What do you think is the most important information on the school profile page
Here are the pieces of information that testers found most important on the school profile page
(number indicates the number of times testers mentioned it)
4 ndash Addresscontact information of school
3 ndash Progress Report
2 ndash Number of students
2 ndash Test scores
1 ndash Admissions
1 ndash Graduation Rate
What do you think is the least important information on the school profile page
4 out of 10 testers said that everything on that page was important or were unable to say what was the
least important Here are the pieces of information that testers indicated were the least important on
the school profile page
4 ndash ldquoDonrsquot knowrdquordquoEverything is importantrdquo
2 ndash Progress Reports
1 ndash Attendance information
1 ndash Health school certifications
1 ndash ProgramsClubs
1 ndash Demographics
7
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Part I Responses Which school(s) do your children attend
Here is a list of schools testers mentioned
Courtenay
Dett School
Durkin Park Elementary
Funston
Hefferan
Holy Trinity
Lane Tech
Nettlehorst
Spencer
Urban Prep
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes or email Here
are the top responses we heard (the number indicates the number of times a response was mentioned)
6 ndash Communications with teachers
2 ndash Weekly email newsletter
2 ndash Facebook groups
2 ndash Other parents
1 ndash Communication with student
1 ndash ParticipatingVolunteer at schools
Do you search online for information about the schools your child(ren) attend
Yes 30 (3)
No 70 (7)
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Here are some responses from our testers
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) shared that her childrsquos school uses the
Remind app (httpswwwremindcom) which is a tool that she feels puts too much burden on
the teachers to communicate to parents In addition Local School Council Member amp Parent of
1 said that she used the website in the Fall to research high schools for her son but it was
difficult to use
2
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched online when he first moved to the area but does not
do it anymore
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of that Usually what people are saying online is usually about the older gradesrdquo
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your
school (Either online or otherwise)
Here are what testers said was the biggest challenge in finding information about their childrsquos school
(number indicates number of times a challenge was mentioned
3 ndash Information is not updated or labeled correctly
2 ndash Lack of communication from teachers or schools
1 ndash Not sure where to find information
1 ndash Unable to find event information
Parent (7) told us ldquoIt isnrsquot a big challenge Just go up to teachers and talk to themrdquo
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) shared about past experiences ldquoYou just donrsquot know
where to find it If I go to the website I donrsquot think itrsquos very user friendly in order to find a
particular schoolrdquo
High School Parent (6) says ldquoFrequently information is not up to date links are broken I
imagine itrsquos hard to feed the content beast It mostly seems to be the same information but I
want to know what makes my school different than the othersrdquo
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
Do you use the CPS parent portal
Yes 20 (2)
No 80 (8)
If so how have you used it
Here are some responses from our testers
3
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoYesrdquo she used it once to see if she could log in but no longer uses it
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said ldquoNordquo because she could not get
information about logging in from the school She does not think itrsquos necessary to see a childrsquos
grade everyday and thinks it is a waste of the teacherrsquos time to post grades every day for ldquoevery
little assignmentrdquo
High School Parent (5) uses it to monitor her childrsquos attendance and grade progress
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) tried once to log in but got locked out
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
If so what do you use the website for
Here are the responses from testers about how they used the CPS website (number indicates the
number of times testers mentioned it)
3 ndash To choose a new school or High School
2 ndash To use the calendar of events
1 ndash To find more information about Local School Councils
1 ndash To learn more about after school programs
Part II Responses
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Here are what testers pointed out when reviewing the homepage (number indicates number of times a
topic of feature was mentioned)
4 ndash Various news stories
4 ndash Search bar
4 ndash ldquoSchoolsrdquo
2 ndash Upcoming news amp events
1 ndash ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash ldquoStaffrdquo
1 ndash Applications for early childhood
1 ndash Social media outlets
1 ndash Calendar
1 ndash Warning banner for site maintenance
1 ndash Community bulletin board
4
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
3 ndash Click ldquoSchoolsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoCalendarrsquo
1 ndash Other Clicked banner
1 ndash Other Click read more on the PARCC article
1 ndash Other Clicked on Memorial Day event
1 ndash Other Looked up Board Meetings
1 ndash Other Typed in daughterrsquos school name
0 ndash Click ldquoTopicsrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoStaffrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoRecommended Resources by Graderdquo
0 ndash Used the Search
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Here are responses from testers about the first thing they did on the CPS website
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose to look at Board Meetings and pointed out
that the last time it was updated was August of 2014 but yet it has a date for two weeks from
now and she thought this was odd
High School Parent (5) clicked the school locator and mentions that it looks different than
it did before ldquoIt doesnrsquot look as welcomingrdquo High School Parent is not sure if she was looking
at ldquopipeline high schoolsrdquo
Parent of k (8) chose the calendar ldquoI wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring
break and what else was happening coming up It is very easy to userdquo
Meekmeek (10) chose the Memorial Day event but the screen never loaded
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in the headlines When clicking on it she
was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to open it but gets an error
message saying that she cannot open the file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you search for and what did you learn
5 testers had positive experiences when searching for information they were interested in learning more
about Here are some of the things we heard
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched for ldquoHigh Schoolrdquo and clicked on the first search
result which lead to an overview of the different types of high schools He shared that these
descriptions were easy to understand
Parent of k (8) used the School Locator to find Spencer Academy Parent of k says ldquoIt is very
easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offeredhellip
I like that they tell you a lot
5
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of Three Girls (9) searched for ldquoreadingrdquo because they wanted their daughter to be
prepared for first grade and was looking for tips Parent of Three Girls clicked on ldquoHome parent
reading tipsrdquo which was exactly what she was looking for She enjoyed the content especially
about using the library as a resource
Three testers had some difficulties during the search Here are some of their experiences
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) was searching for a school but after
adding zip code had a hard time finding the button to search
High School Parent (5) was using a Nexus 5 and had trouble searching for school either by
name or by address High School Parent had to reload the page before being successful
Parent (7) could not find her daughterrsquos school (Dett) but found it later because it was
organized by the full name of the school (Robert Dett)
Did you find what you are looking for
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
How did you search
By clicking on a topic 50 (5)
Using the search function 50 (5)
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information that you found
Three testers Active in the schools (1) Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4)
and Parent (7) all searched for their childrsquos school as the first thing they did after reviewing the
website
Here are some specifics about the information testers found from the School Profile Page
Parent of 2 (2) was most interested in the progress reports but wanted the profile rating to
be clickable and to dig deeper into the metrics
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) learned that her school is Level 1
At first the list of schools did not appear for Meekmeek (10) Meekmeek scrolled very quickly to
find the school but did not see the name After awhile she did find and clicked on the school name but
it did not show the school profile page Eventually she was able to get the next page but it loaded very
slowly
Did you use the School Locator
Yes 60 (6)
6
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
No 40 (4)
Was this an easy experience
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Why or why not
All testers had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school Here are some responses from
testers
Parent (7) says ldquoI typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the schools -
shows what percentage of students are graduatingrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school but
said that it was very slow to load the profile page
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
What do you think is the most important information on the school profile page
Here are the pieces of information that testers found most important on the school profile page
(number indicates the number of times testers mentioned it)
4 ndash Addresscontact information of school
3 ndash Progress Report
2 ndash Number of students
2 ndash Test scores
1 ndash Admissions
1 ndash Graduation Rate
What do you think is the least important information on the school profile page
4 out of 10 testers said that everything on that page was important or were unable to say what was the
least important Here are the pieces of information that testers indicated were the least important on
the school profile page
4 ndash ldquoDonrsquot knowrdquordquoEverything is importantrdquo
2 ndash Progress Reports
1 ndash Attendance information
1 ndash Health school certifications
1 ndash ProgramsClubs
1 ndash Demographics
7
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched online when he first moved to the area but does not
do it anymore
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of that Usually what people are saying online is usually about the older gradesrdquo
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your
school (Either online or otherwise)
Here are what testers said was the biggest challenge in finding information about their childrsquos school
(number indicates number of times a challenge was mentioned
3 ndash Information is not updated or labeled correctly
2 ndash Lack of communication from teachers or schools
1 ndash Not sure where to find information
1 ndash Unable to find event information
Parent (7) told us ldquoIt isnrsquot a big challenge Just go up to teachers and talk to themrdquo
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) shared about past experiences ldquoYou just donrsquot know
where to find it If I go to the website I donrsquot think itrsquos very user friendly in order to find a
particular schoolrdquo
High School Parent (6) says ldquoFrequently information is not up to date links are broken I
imagine itrsquos hard to feed the content beast It mostly seems to be the same information but I
want to know what makes my school different than the othersrdquo
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
Do you use the CPS parent portal
Yes 20 (2)
No 80 (8)
If so how have you used it
Here are some responses from our testers
3
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoYesrdquo she used it once to see if she could log in but no longer uses it
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said ldquoNordquo because she could not get
information about logging in from the school She does not think itrsquos necessary to see a childrsquos
grade everyday and thinks it is a waste of the teacherrsquos time to post grades every day for ldquoevery
little assignmentrdquo
High School Parent (5) uses it to monitor her childrsquos attendance and grade progress
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) tried once to log in but got locked out
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
If so what do you use the website for
Here are the responses from testers about how they used the CPS website (number indicates the
number of times testers mentioned it)
3 ndash To choose a new school or High School
2 ndash To use the calendar of events
1 ndash To find more information about Local School Councils
1 ndash To learn more about after school programs
Part II Responses
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Here are what testers pointed out when reviewing the homepage (number indicates number of times a
topic of feature was mentioned)
4 ndash Various news stories
4 ndash Search bar
4 ndash ldquoSchoolsrdquo
2 ndash Upcoming news amp events
1 ndash ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash ldquoStaffrdquo
1 ndash Applications for early childhood
1 ndash Social media outlets
1 ndash Calendar
1 ndash Warning banner for site maintenance
1 ndash Community bulletin board
4
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
3 ndash Click ldquoSchoolsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoCalendarrsquo
1 ndash Other Clicked banner
1 ndash Other Click read more on the PARCC article
1 ndash Other Clicked on Memorial Day event
1 ndash Other Looked up Board Meetings
1 ndash Other Typed in daughterrsquos school name
0 ndash Click ldquoTopicsrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoStaffrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoRecommended Resources by Graderdquo
0 ndash Used the Search
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Here are responses from testers about the first thing they did on the CPS website
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose to look at Board Meetings and pointed out
that the last time it was updated was August of 2014 but yet it has a date for two weeks from
now and she thought this was odd
High School Parent (5) clicked the school locator and mentions that it looks different than
it did before ldquoIt doesnrsquot look as welcomingrdquo High School Parent is not sure if she was looking
at ldquopipeline high schoolsrdquo
Parent of k (8) chose the calendar ldquoI wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring
break and what else was happening coming up It is very easy to userdquo
Meekmeek (10) chose the Memorial Day event but the screen never loaded
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in the headlines When clicking on it she
was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to open it but gets an error
message saying that she cannot open the file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you search for and what did you learn
5 testers had positive experiences when searching for information they were interested in learning more
about Here are some of the things we heard
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched for ldquoHigh Schoolrdquo and clicked on the first search
result which lead to an overview of the different types of high schools He shared that these
descriptions were easy to understand
Parent of k (8) used the School Locator to find Spencer Academy Parent of k says ldquoIt is very
easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offeredhellip
I like that they tell you a lot
5
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of Three Girls (9) searched for ldquoreadingrdquo because they wanted their daughter to be
prepared for first grade and was looking for tips Parent of Three Girls clicked on ldquoHome parent
reading tipsrdquo which was exactly what she was looking for She enjoyed the content especially
about using the library as a resource
Three testers had some difficulties during the search Here are some of their experiences
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) was searching for a school but after
adding zip code had a hard time finding the button to search
High School Parent (5) was using a Nexus 5 and had trouble searching for school either by
name or by address High School Parent had to reload the page before being successful
Parent (7) could not find her daughterrsquos school (Dett) but found it later because it was
organized by the full name of the school (Robert Dett)
Did you find what you are looking for
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
How did you search
By clicking on a topic 50 (5)
Using the search function 50 (5)
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information that you found
Three testers Active in the schools (1) Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4)
and Parent (7) all searched for their childrsquos school as the first thing they did after reviewing the
website
Here are some specifics about the information testers found from the School Profile Page
Parent of 2 (2) was most interested in the progress reports but wanted the profile rating to
be clickable and to dig deeper into the metrics
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) learned that her school is Level 1
At first the list of schools did not appear for Meekmeek (10) Meekmeek scrolled very quickly to
find the school but did not see the name After awhile she did find and clicked on the school name but
it did not show the school profile page Eventually she was able to get the next page but it loaded very
slowly
Did you use the School Locator
Yes 60 (6)
6
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
No 40 (4)
Was this an easy experience
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Why or why not
All testers had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school Here are some responses from
testers
Parent (7) says ldquoI typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the schools -
shows what percentage of students are graduatingrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school but
said that it was very slow to load the profile page
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
What do you think is the most important information on the school profile page
Here are the pieces of information that testers found most important on the school profile page
(number indicates the number of times testers mentioned it)
4 ndash Addresscontact information of school
3 ndash Progress Report
2 ndash Number of students
2 ndash Test scores
1 ndash Admissions
1 ndash Graduation Rate
What do you think is the least important information on the school profile page
4 out of 10 testers said that everything on that page was important or were unable to say what was the
least important Here are the pieces of information that testers indicated were the least important on
the school profile page
4 ndash ldquoDonrsquot knowrdquordquoEverything is importantrdquo
2 ndash Progress Reports
1 ndash Attendance information
1 ndash Health school certifications
1 ndash ProgramsClubs
1 ndash Demographics
7
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoYesrdquo she used it once to see if she could log in but no longer uses it
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said ldquoNordquo because she could not get
information about logging in from the school She does not think itrsquos necessary to see a childrsquos
grade everyday and thinks it is a waste of the teacherrsquos time to post grades every day for ldquoevery
little assignmentrdquo
High School Parent (5) uses it to monitor her childrsquos attendance and grade progress
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) tried once to log in but got locked out
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
If so what do you use the website for
Here are the responses from testers about how they used the CPS website (number indicates the
number of times testers mentioned it)
3 ndash To choose a new school or High School
2 ndash To use the calendar of events
1 ndash To find more information about Local School Councils
1 ndash To learn more about after school programs
Part II Responses
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Here are what testers pointed out when reviewing the homepage (number indicates number of times a
topic of feature was mentioned)
4 ndash Various news stories
4 ndash Search bar
4 ndash ldquoSchoolsrdquo
2 ndash Upcoming news amp events
1 ndash ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash ldquoStaffrdquo
1 ndash Applications for early childhood
1 ndash Social media outlets
1 ndash Calendar
1 ndash Warning banner for site maintenance
1 ndash Community bulletin board
4
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
3 ndash Click ldquoSchoolsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoCalendarrsquo
1 ndash Other Clicked banner
1 ndash Other Click read more on the PARCC article
1 ndash Other Clicked on Memorial Day event
1 ndash Other Looked up Board Meetings
1 ndash Other Typed in daughterrsquos school name
0 ndash Click ldquoTopicsrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoStaffrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoRecommended Resources by Graderdquo
0 ndash Used the Search
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Here are responses from testers about the first thing they did on the CPS website
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose to look at Board Meetings and pointed out
that the last time it was updated was August of 2014 but yet it has a date for two weeks from
now and she thought this was odd
High School Parent (5) clicked the school locator and mentions that it looks different than
it did before ldquoIt doesnrsquot look as welcomingrdquo High School Parent is not sure if she was looking
at ldquopipeline high schoolsrdquo
Parent of k (8) chose the calendar ldquoI wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring
break and what else was happening coming up It is very easy to userdquo
Meekmeek (10) chose the Memorial Day event but the screen never loaded
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in the headlines When clicking on it she
was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to open it but gets an error
message saying that she cannot open the file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you search for and what did you learn
5 testers had positive experiences when searching for information they were interested in learning more
about Here are some of the things we heard
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched for ldquoHigh Schoolrdquo and clicked on the first search
result which lead to an overview of the different types of high schools He shared that these
descriptions were easy to understand
Parent of k (8) used the School Locator to find Spencer Academy Parent of k says ldquoIt is very
easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offeredhellip
I like that they tell you a lot
5
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of Three Girls (9) searched for ldquoreadingrdquo because they wanted their daughter to be
prepared for first grade and was looking for tips Parent of Three Girls clicked on ldquoHome parent
reading tipsrdquo which was exactly what she was looking for She enjoyed the content especially
about using the library as a resource
Three testers had some difficulties during the search Here are some of their experiences
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) was searching for a school but after
adding zip code had a hard time finding the button to search
High School Parent (5) was using a Nexus 5 and had trouble searching for school either by
name or by address High School Parent had to reload the page before being successful
Parent (7) could not find her daughterrsquos school (Dett) but found it later because it was
organized by the full name of the school (Robert Dett)
Did you find what you are looking for
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
How did you search
By clicking on a topic 50 (5)
Using the search function 50 (5)
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information that you found
Three testers Active in the schools (1) Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4)
and Parent (7) all searched for their childrsquos school as the first thing they did after reviewing the
website
Here are some specifics about the information testers found from the School Profile Page
Parent of 2 (2) was most interested in the progress reports but wanted the profile rating to
be clickable and to dig deeper into the metrics
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) learned that her school is Level 1
At first the list of schools did not appear for Meekmeek (10) Meekmeek scrolled very quickly to
find the school but did not see the name After awhile she did find and clicked on the school name but
it did not show the school profile page Eventually she was able to get the next page but it loaded very
slowly
Did you use the School Locator
Yes 60 (6)
6
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
No 40 (4)
Was this an easy experience
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Why or why not
All testers had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school Here are some responses from
testers
Parent (7) says ldquoI typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the schools -
shows what percentage of students are graduatingrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school but
said that it was very slow to load the profile page
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
What do you think is the most important information on the school profile page
Here are the pieces of information that testers found most important on the school profile page
(number indicates the number of times testers mentioned it)
4 ndash Addresscontact information of school
3 ndash Progress Report
2 ndash Number of students
2 ndash Test scores
1 ndash Admissions
1 ndash Graduation Rate
What do you think is the least important information on the school profile page
4 out of 10 testers said that everything on that page was important or were unable to say what was the
least important Here are the pieces of information that testers indicated were the least important on
the school profile page
4 ndash ldquoDonrsquot knowrdquordquoEverything is importantrdquo
2 ndash Progress Reports
1 ndash Attendance information
1 ndash Health school certifications
1 ndash ProgramsClubs
1 ndash Demographics
7
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
3 ndash Click ldquoSchoolsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoStudentsrdquo
1 ndash Click ldquoCalendarrsquo
1 ndash Other Clicked banner
1 ndash Other Click read more on the PARCC article
1 ndash Other Clicked on Memorial Day event
1 ndash Other Looked up Board Meetings
1 ndash Other Typed in daughterrsquos school name
0 ndash Click ldquoTopicsrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoStaffrdquo
0 ndash Click ldquoRecommended Resources by Graderdquo
0 ndash Used the Search
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Here are responses from testers about the first thing they did on the CPS website
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose to look at Board Meetings and pointed out
that the last time it was updated was August of 2014 but yet it has a date for two weeks from
now and she thought this was odd
High School Parent (5) clicked the school locator and mentions that it looks different than
it did before ldquoIt doesnrsquot look as welcomingrdquo High School Parent is not sure if she was looking
at ldquopipeline high schoolsrdquo
Parent of k (8) chose the calendar ldquoI wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring
break and what else was happening coming up It is very easy to userdquo
Meekmeek (10) chose the Memorial Day event but the screen never loaded
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in the headlines When clicking on it she
was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to open it but gets an error
message saying that she cannot open the file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you search for and what did you learn
5 testers had positive experiences when searching for information they were interested in learning more
about Here are some of the things we heard
Husband and father of 1 (6) searched for ldquoHigh Schoolrdquo and clicked on the first search
result which lead to an overview of the different types of high schools He shared that these
descriptions were easy to understand
Parent of k (8) used the School Locator to find Spencer Academy Parent of k says ldquoIt is very
easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offeredhellip
I like that they tell you a lot
5
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of Three Girls (9) searched for ldquoreadingrdquo because they wanted their daughter to be
prepared for first grade and was looking for tips Parent of Three Girls clicked on ldquoHome parent
reading tipsrdquo which was exactly what she was looking for She enjoyed the content especially
about using the library as a resource
Three testers had some difficulties during the search Here are some of their experiences
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) was searching for a school but after
adding zip code had a hard time finding the button to search
High School Parent (5) was using a Nexus 5 and had trouble searching for school either by
name or by address High School Parent had to reload the page before being successful
Parent (7) could not find her daughterrsquos school (Dett) but found it later because it was
organized by the full name of the school (Robert Dett)
Did you find what you are looking for
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
How did you search
By clicking on a topic 50 (5)
Using the search function 50 (5)
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information that you found
Three testers Active in the schools (1) Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4)
and Parent (7) all searched for their childrsquos school as the first thing they did after reviewing the
website
Here are some specifics about the information testers found from the School Profile Page
Parent of 2 (2) was most interested in the progress reports but wanted the profile rating to
be clickable and to dig deeper into the metrics
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) learned that her school is Level 1
At first the list of schools did not appear for Meekmeek (10) Meekmeek scrolled very quickly to
find the school but did not see the name After awhile she did find and clicked on the school name but
it did not show the school profile page Eventually she was able to get the next page but it loaded very
slowly
Did you use the School Locator
Yes 60 (6)
6
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
No 40 (4)
Was this an easy experience
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Why or why not
All testers had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school Here are some responses from
testers
Parent (7) says ldquoI typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the schools -
shows what percentage of students are graduatingrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school but
said that it was very slow to load the profile page
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
What do you think is the most important information on the school profile page
Here are the pieces of information that testers found most important on the school profile page
(number indicates the number of times testers mentioned it)
4 ndash Addresscontact information of school
3 ndash Progress Report
2 ndash Number of students
2 ndash Test scores
1 ndash Admissions
1 ndash Graduation Rate
What do you think is the least important information on the school profile page
4 out of 10 testers said that everything on that page was important or were unable to say what was the
least important Here are the pieces of information that testers indicated were the least important on
the school profile page
4 ndash ldquoDonrsquot knowrdquordquoEverything is importantrdquo
2 ndash Progress Reports
1 ndash Attendance information
1 ndash Health school certifications
1 ndash ProgramsClubs
1 ndash Demographics
7
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of Three Girls (9) searched for ldquoreadingrdquo because they wanted their daughter to be
prepared for first grade and was looking for tips Parent of Three Girls clicked on ldquoHome parent
reading tipsrdquo which was exactly what she was looking for She enjoyed the content especially
about using the library as a resource
Three testers had some difficulties during the search Here are some of their experiences
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) was searching for a school but after
adding zip code had a hard time finding the button to search
High School Parent (5) was using a Nexus 5 and had trouble searching for school either by
name or by address High School Parent had to reload the page before being successful
Parent (7) could not find her daughterrsquos school (Dett) but found it later because it was
organized by the full name of the school (Robert Dett)
Did you find what you are looking for
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
How did you search
By clicking on a topic 50 (5)
Using the search function 50 (5)
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information that you found
Three testers Active in the schools (1) Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4)
and Parent (7) all searched for their childrsquos school as the first thing they did after reviewing the
website
Here are some specifics about the information testers found from the School Profile Page
Parent of 2 (2) was most interested in the progress reports but wanted the profile rating to
be clickable and to dig deeper into the metrics
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) learned that her school is Level 1
At first the list of schools did not appear for Meekmeek (10) Meekmeek scrolled very quickly to
find the school but did not see the name After awhile she did find and clicked on the school name but
it did not show the school profile page Eventually she was able to get the next page but it loaded very
slowly
Did you use the School Locator
Yes 60 (6)
6
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
No 40 (4)
Was this an easy experience
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Why or why not
All testers had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school Here are some responses from
testers
Parent (7) says ldquoI typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the schools -
shows what percentage of students are graduatingrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school but
said that it was very slow to load the profile page
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
What do you think is the most important information on the school profile page
Here are the pieces of information that testers found most important on the school profile page
(number indicates the number of times testers mentioned it)
4 ndash Addresscontact information of school
3 ndash Progress Report
2 ndash Number of students
2 ndash Test scores
1 ndash Admissions
1 ndash Graduation Rate
What do you think is the least important information on the school profile page
4 out of 10 testers said that everything on that page was important or were unable to say what was the
least important Here are the pieces of information that testers indicated were the least important on
the school profile page
4 ndash ldquoDonrsquot knowrdquordquoEverything is importantrdquo
2 ndash Progress Reports
1 ndash Attendance information
1 ndash Health school certifications
1 ndash ProgramsClubs
1 ndash Demographics
7
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
No 40 (4)
Was this an easy experience
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Why or why not
All testers had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school Here are some responses from
testers
Parent (7) says ldquoI typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the schools -
shows what percentage of students are graduatingrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) had an easy experience searching for their childrsquos school but
said that it was very slow to load the profile page
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
What do you think is the most important information on the school profile page
Here are the pieces of information that testers found most important on the school profile page
(number indicates the number of times testers mentioned it)
4 ndash Addresscontact information of school
3 ndash Progress Report
2 ndash Number of students
2 ndash Test scores
1 ndash Admissions
1 ndash Graduation Rate
What do you think is the least important information on the school profile page
4 out of 10 testers said that everything on that page was important or were unable to say what was the
least important Here are the pieces of information that testers indicated were the least important on
the school profile page
4 ndash ldquoDonrsquot knowrdquordquoEverything is importantrdquo
2 ndash Progress Reports
1 ndash Attendance information
1 ndash Health school certifications
1 ndash ProgramsClubs
1 ndash Demographics
7
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results you found What did you learn
Half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using the School Locator to search for an address or
with the results they found Here are some of the responses we heard
4 out of 10 testers had trouble viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) had to turn her iPhone 5 horizontally
to see both the map and the results page but then once on the map this tester could not get
back to the results section It was difficult moving back and forth to see all of the information on
this page Also when clicking on a pin the box was too large to view the whole thing
Husband and father of 1 (6) was testing on his Nexus 5 and thought the results were good
but the browser did not let him scroll to the right By viewing on his phone vertically showed
only some of the map Husband and father of 1 wanted to see more of the map
Meekmeek (10) tested on her Android HTC Desire and could not see the map at all unless
she switched it to horizontal view Therefore when she clicked on a school result it was meant
to appear as a pinpoint on a map but nothing happened on Meekmeekrsquos screen and she became
stuck on this page
Parent of 2 (2) said ldquoIt is a lot better than the old locatorrdquo However the map was not in
view on the testerrsquos iPhone 6 and the browser froze on the school locator page
Here are some other responses from testers who had more positive experiences
Active in the schools (1) says ldquoI found good information what grades they serve the grade
level their standinghelliprdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquo28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnrsquot know there were
that many schools The info windowrsquos information is goodrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoIt gave me schools that were closer to me schools that I
qualify forrdquo
Was this an easy experience
Yes 90 (9)
No 10 (1)
Why or why not
Overwhelmingly testers thought their experience was easy Two testers said it was easy in the last
question but had difficulties using the School Locator Here are responses from some of our testers
about using the School Locator tool to search for their address
8
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Parent of 2 (2) thought it was straight-forward to type into and liked that it gave the
neighborhood schools and other types of schools ldquoIt would be nice to highlight what you can
apply tordquo
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) said while it was fairly easy there was
some frustration but says ldquoIrsquom not a so-called digital native so I am used to thatrdquo
High School Parent (5) said it was easy but leaned more towards the middle of it they say
ldquoMeh because I didnrsquot realize there were filters in the drop downsrdquo
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoIt has potential but it was difficult to use on the Nexusrdquo
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child should attend What school did you choose Here is a list of schools that testers ended up choosing
Clemente
Disney II Magnet School
Marshall
Morgan Park
Smithe
Sullivan
Walter Payton
Parent (7) would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech due to
reputation
Parent of k (8) said they needed to spend more time looking at schools before choosing one
Why did you choose that school
When discussing reasons why testers would choose a school we heard a few things
3 ndash Reputation
3 ndash Distance from homein neighborhood
2 ndash Performance Rate
2 ndash Safety
Here are some responses from testers about using the school locator to find information about a High
School
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) says ldquoIt gives you an option to show the ratings but
only for all schoolsrdquo Active Mom and CPS Volunteer thought this was a frustrating experience
9
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Husband and father of 1 (6) mentioned that it showed Clemente as a neighborhood high
school but he wasnrsquot sure if that was the case He thought it seemed like that are suggesting
that Clemente is the one in district and he is more familiar with the term ldquoin districtrdquo vs
ldquoneighborhoodrdquo
Parent of k (8) liked the link for directions and the grade category selectors When using
the locator she opened up ldquoPrograms Offeredrdquo and said ldquoOh wow that is pretty coolrdquo
Parent of Three Girls (9) in this exercise this tester chose Sullivan because it is closer to
where they live and ldquoI actually know a couple of people who go there and say it is good I will
get my own information about the school from the principalrdquo
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a new school
Yes 70 (7)
No 30 (3)
Why or why not
Here are some responses of testers who said ldquoYesrdquo it was easy to use
Husband and father of 1 (6) says ldquoYou can click on a name and it pulls up information on
the map and then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good incorporation of
Google mapsrdquo
Parent of k (8) says ldquoIt flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the maprdquo
Here is a response from a tester who said ldquoNordquo it wasnrsquot easy to use
Parent of 2 (2) say ldquoNot for high school There are more categorizations than elementary
which makes it more difficultrdquo
One tester High School Parent (6) said it was an easy experience in the previous question but
when digging deeper as to why High School Parent said ldquoNo it gave you the information that you start
[with] to do further researchrdquo but she would still have to do further research and visit the school
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about What did you choose
Here are the features and topics that testers chose in learning more about
3 ndash District Calendar
1 ndash School classification
1 ndash Repurposing
1 ndash Local School Council Principal Evaluation
1 ndash View recommended resources by grade
1 ndash Staff
10
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
1 ndash Topics
1 ndash ldquoSingingrdquo
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
3 testers wanted to look at the district calendar when asked to choose something they were interested
in learning about Here is more about these testersrsquo experiences
Parent of 2 (2) clicked on the PDF because it was hard to read on their screen
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) chose the calendar because in the past
nothing was on the calendar and she had to call the school Spring break and teacher conference
information would be useful
Meekmeek (10) downloaded the PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up
on her screen but the PDF was difficult to read since she had to continue to zoom in and out
When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a white screen and took a very long time to load The
information she is most interested in seeing on the calendar are dates for open enrollment
report pickup day and picture day
Here are some other responses from testers
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3) chose ldquoRepurposingrdquo because ldquoI wondered what it is
there was an icon for it but I didnrsquot understand what it was for It was about the buildingsrdquo
Parent (7) chose ldquoStaffrdquo because she thought it would talk about staff at the schools and she
ldquowanted to know what type of people are handling your kidsrdquo She then realized that it was an
employee-only page After this experience Parent wanted to look at the calendar
Parent of Three Girls (9) chose ldquoSingingrdquo because ldquomy daughter loves to signrdquo When
presented with the ldquoout of daterdquo message she said ldquoif this isnrsquot accurate anymore they
shouldnrsquot have it Itrsquos like false advertising
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes 100 (100)
No 0
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future Yes 80 (8)
No 20 (2)
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Testers had a wide range of responses when asked how they would improve the Chicago Public Schools
website Here is a list of improvements that testers provided
ldquoIt is a little sterile make it come to life morerdquo ndashParent of 2 (2)
11
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
ldquoI dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level)
make it k-8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is herersquordquo ndash Active Mom and CPS Volunteer (3)
ldquoOne thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS calendar on Google I used to be
able to do it but at some point it stoppedrdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is
a drastic improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and
locator function on mobilerdquo ndash Husband and father of 1 (6)
ldquoMake it easier to find parent portalrdquo ndash Parent of k (8)
ldquoRemove outdated contentrdquo ndash Parent of Three Girls (9)
ldquoLess downloadsrdquo ndashMeekmeek (10)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes 100 (10)
No 0
Anything else to add
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1 (4) says ldquoItrsquos so nice to blather on and onhelliprdquo and
hopes we are reaching a variety of people through CUTGroup
High School Parent (5) says ldquoNope I just think the website is better than it used to berdquo
12
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Results
Finding School Information Past experiences When we asked testers whether or not they ever searched online for information about the schools
that their children attend overwhelmingly (7 out of 10) testers said No
Parent of Three Girls (9) says ldquoI have looked before when she was first starting for
information about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school but I like her teachers
and I go off of thatrdquo
When asked whether or not they have ever visited the CPS website 7 out of 10 testers said Yes
This is how these testers used the CPS website in the past
3 testers used it to choose a new school or High School
2 testers used it to check the calendar of events
1 tester wanted to learn more about Local School Councils and
1 tester wanted to find out about after-school programs
We asked testers how easy it is to find information about schools whether online or in person Half of
the testers answered right in the middle about how difficult or easy it was to find school information
5 Very Easy 20 (2)
4 Easy 10 (1)
3 Neutral 50 (5)
2 Difficult 20 (2)
1 Very Difficult 0
We learned that a lot of our testers find out what is happening in their childrenrsquos schools from
communication with the teachers either via phone parentteacher conferences notes email Testers
also learn about about what is happening in their school from other parents weekly email newsletters
and communications with teachers
During the test When searching for their childs school 6 out of 10 testers used the School Locator but all testers
thought it was an easy time searching Testers were then asked to tell us the most important and least
important information on the schools profile pages The most important information testers called out
included addresscontact information progress reports number of students test scores admission and
graduation rates When asked about the least important information 4 testers said that all of the
information was important to them
When all testers were asked to use the School Locator tool and search for an address we saw that
about half of the testers had some degree of difficulty using this feature 4 testers had trouble with
viewing the map and filters when holding their phones vertically 2 of these testers were testing with
their iPhones while the other 2 were on Android devices When holding their phone vertically testers
only saw the list of school names but when clicking on the name it would open more information on
13
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
the map which was not on view for the tester The tester would have to their phone horizontally in
order to see both the map and the list
Usability of CPSedu We were very interested in learning more about how parents searched when finding information from
their school or about other topics The CPS website team wanted to see if parents were comfortable
using the search features Therefore we asked testers to search for information that they were
interested in learning more about Half of the testers clicked on the appropriate topics to find out more
information while the other half of the testers used the search box Only three testers had trouble
finding the information they were looking for
When testers were asked to search for their childrsquos school (in any way that they wanted) 6 out of 10 of
the testers used the School Locator All testers thought it was an easy experience to find their childrsquos
school
Active in the schools (1) said ldquoIt didnrsquot take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped
right uprdquo
A few testers experienced slow load times for the next pages For example Meekmeek
(10) downloaded a PDF of the calendar because the calendar did not show up on her screen but the
PDF was difficult to read since she had to zoom in and out When clicking on ldquoCalendarrdquo it showed a
white screen and took a very long time to load
A few testers reached PDFs during their tests and either they were not as easy to use such as
Meekmeekrsquos case (10) or they did not load Parent of Three Girls (9) chose a PARCC article in
the headlines When clicking on it she was asked to download a PDF After downloading she clicks to
open it but gets an error message saying that she cannot open the file
As mentioned above during this test we learned the biggest improvement that could be made was the
School Locator and changing the view from a horizontal layout to a vertical layout In general all testers
said they liked the CPS website and most of them had an easy time using the website
ldquoI just think the website is better than it used to berdquo ndash High School Parent (5)
ldquoIt is very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs
offeredhellip I like that they tell you a lotrdquo ndashParent of k (8)
Mobile devices Normally for CUTGroup tests we encourage testers to bring their own phones and devices for testing
It is important that we not only test mobile-friendly websites but that we test them on their own
devices We not only learn about usability issues on different types of phones but we also better
understand how testers navigate tasks on their own device 5 testers tested on laptops that we
provided and here is a look at the devices the other 5 testers used
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
Nexus 5
Boost ZTE Max
14
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup 15 ndash Chicago Public Schools CPSedu
In-person test on April 1 2015
Android HTC Desire 10 Boost Mobile
Besides some of the issues we outlined above most testers using a mobile device had an easy time
navigating the new CPS website We were excited to test a website that not only reaches so many
parents in the city of Chicago but are also excited as the CPS website team continues to redesign with
mobile devices in mind This CUTGroup opportunity was a great example of getting feedback directly
from residents (and parents) on their own devices while better understanding their own experiences
when finding school information
15
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
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Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
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(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
1
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active in the schools
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Lane Tech Urban Prep
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Teachers will call or Ill call them
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
At my sons school (urban prep) they give us a sheet I dont worry
about the girl
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You dont get any communications from the teachers unless you specifically ask for it
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
16
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
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58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Students school and staff they have profile pages for the school (on the locator) they give you
information about a lot of stuff - I hadnt seen before Pretty easy to navigate everything is right there
up top at the bottom holidays
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Type in his daughters school (Lane Tech)
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I just picked this because I always knew Lane Tech had been a real good school And its telling me about
the college enrollment ACT average - he knows the other schools are much worse than Lane Tech
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
(Tester already did this step)
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(Tester did this first)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It didnt take but a hot second I typed in Lane and it popped right up
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
(Took a second) Id say the demographics nobody
17
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
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Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
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Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Graduation rate - 937 for Lane compared to
all the other high schools
cares
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
(they closed most of the schools around his house) I pretty much know where all the schools are My
cousin goes to William Penn my other cousin goes to (school near Pulaski took tester a moment to
find it) I found good information what grades they serve the level the grade level tells you about
their standing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I had no problems
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
(Tester choose Austin area) (went to the dropdown list) Picked Morgan Park
Why did you choose that school
Its further south its away from Englewood - heard a lot of good things about this school It has a good
performance rate
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No problems you can download the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
School classification
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Just wanted to see what they were talking about (Tester is clicking around the map) Tester
expected to see what programs offered compared to other schools Met expectations (tester looking
around site) (just looking the around)
18
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
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- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Testers kids are about to graduate so not much use for much longer) Working pretty good to me
Let me know the programs the performance ect
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its good for people that have kids - good to know info about schools
2015-04-01 161939
19
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
2
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of 2
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 6
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Safari
Which school(s) do your children attend
Nettlehorst
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Weekly email newsletter Facebook group
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
before kids were enrolled sense of quality now a one stop shop for everything whats for lunch
homework etc
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
On it once Just logged on to see if she could
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
calendar frequently menu
20
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
upcoming news and events applications for early childhood profiles of the schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
banner
Tell us more about the first thing you did
banner did not work more interested in news and events since not actively searching for schools
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Searched for school (Nettlehorst) Able to access the school profile page most interested in progress
reports Would like the profile ratings to be clickable Would like to be able to dig deeper on the
metrics
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
programs and clubs
21
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
progress report
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
assigned neighborhood and nearby schools It is a lot better than the old locator If you dont know what
neighborhood schools mean you might understand that part (On phone the map is not in view )
iPhone browser froze on school locator page
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
straight forward to type into and it good that it gives the
neighborhood and other It would be nice to highlight what you can
apply to
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Why did you choose that school
look at the ones that have higher ratings It is still confusing to know what you can apply for Ratings
sliding
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
Not for high school There are more categorizations that elementary
which makes it more difficult
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
clicked on PDF web calendar was hard to see and read on phone It is a little bit of a weird interface It
seems like an interface you would type appointments into instead of something for people to look at
OVERALL REVIEW
22
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It is a little sterile make it come to life more Usability is fairly good If you are applying to schools a lot
of information may be missing
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 170610
23
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
3
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Active Mom and CPS Volunteer
Proctored by
Christopher
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Courtney Holy Trinity
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Through Facebook
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Yes (finding out theres a lot of stuff online)
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
You just dont know where to find it - If I go to the website I dont think its very user freindly in order
to find a particular school Last time it showed the school it was originally from VS the address on
Beacon
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
I have once I got locked out and it frustrated me - the person that
was helping me disappeared
24
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I was looking for a high school for my daughter and to transfer my
son
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The search bar () - The thing that said Edison Park on there - and that it shows up at the top corner
that you can get on twitter and facebook for them (She follows them on Twitter)
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
To look at the board meetings
Tell us more about the first thing you did
(The last time this was updated was August of 2014) - but yet it has a date for two weeks from now
(First thing she noticed - thought it was od)
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
She did - was looking for board meeting - shows where the time and date of the next board meeting
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Now shes looking at her daughters school - looking at enrollment - found out its Level One
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was easy because all I did was type School name or zip code
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
25
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
I guess how many students it has - that its a
level one school - ( I didnt know that - which
is sad because I go to the LSC meetings)
I dont know - it all looks important (something that I
didnt know either thats concering to me is that the
NWE math scores didnt grow at all)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
How is that possible They have like 685 schools - I think I shouldnt have hit all schools (Changes
things) (Clicks schools near your home - search by address) Ok thats a lot better - shows schools
within 15 miles 2 neighborhood schools - one is Ridge and one is Stimage - shows schools of slightly
further (Found new school but didnt like it since it was double the class size)
Was this an easy
experience
No
Why or why not
once I figured out I hit the wrong button it was easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Didnt pick - couldnt find one
Why did you choose that school
Theres only two schools that pop up its not very easy you have to figure out where the other
schools are It should give you the option to pick high school or grade schools It gives you an option
to show the ratings but only for all schools (Testers is frustrated with it)
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
(See above)
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Repurposing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
I wondered what it is There was an icon for it - I didnt understand what it was for - it was about the
buildings and stuff - (re-use of closed schools) It met expectations - wouldnt have thought to look
26
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
there - nobody knows whats going on
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I dont know maybe making it so that if youre looking for a specific high school (grade level) make it k-
8 and 9-12 is here and pre-school is here
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No but theres my daughters building - thats pretty neat
2015-04-01 170627
27
Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
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Tester
4
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Local School Council Member amp Parent of 1
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
iPhone 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
Son attends Durkin Park Elementary 8th grader
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Send home notes paper Remind program (detests this program) adds burden to the teachers and puts
pressure on parents to harass (sometimes convenient)
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Main mode is Rewind app Son is in a small neighborhood school
Used the website in the Fall to research schools CPS website was
difficult to use last Fall and high school enrollment
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Information is not labeled appropriately An example application process for high school not Office of
Access and Engagement and something like that
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
First reason could not get information about logging in from the
school Does not think it is necessary to see childs grade every day
Thinks it is a waste of teachers time to post grades every day for
every little assignment Needs to accessible
28
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
Enrollment for son in High School only used on computer
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
First notice the first story Menu Jumped right in and clicked in Schools
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Students First -- marketing Scrolling down Scroll all the way through -- text was large and did not
need to zoom in
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School Profile Pages Added a zip code but had to find button Thinks that it would load quickly even on
a slower phone Useful information right off the top Durkins information is correct but could not
find the button to move forward Did not want to compare Clicked on the name to open the page
CTA bus information that goes to school Notices number of students is more than description
indicates No nurse in the school not enough custodians Creative Arts certification did not know
about that Bilingual services Unknown This is inaccurate Nice just enough information to read
through Now looking through program and admissions
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(First thing tester did)
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
Logical sequence to find information Easily accessible manner
29
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
Correct address and information -- easy to
find information Also progress report
information is really really nice but
questions how to use the information which
leads to firing the 4th grade teacher because
those scores are lower
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
Attendance information Understands that is
important Dont care about behavior and discipline
because doesnt know what to do with that
information What does that mean Thinks this
information would be different if moving from out of
town
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Search for an address -- button was a little small to click on took a few tries Did not put in the zip code
Nice the first two were the correct results Map is nice and accurate representations Moved onto
the map but could not get back to results page Wanted to look at Overlays 3 New High School
Boundaries Had difficulties moving back and forth from filters to map and then overlays was difficult to
find as well Wanted to see a legend and was not sure what this overlay really showed Tried to turn
phone horizontally to see if they could see both filters and map Likes both the map and list function
Clicked on the pin and thought it might give the name of the school It also provided a link to more
information for school profile page which was a separate tab The pin box was too large to view the
whole thing
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Fairly easy some frustration not a so-called digital native so I am
used to that
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Disney II Magnet Roosevelt HS
Why did you choose that school
If moving to new neighborhood would know it by community area Tried Albany Park happy that the
result gave the proper schools Would look at the map browser crashed Took out Elementary and
Middle from filter Refreshed list automatically Clicked on the list and showed it on the map with the
pin info box open Did not lead to school profile page Bizarre that it was 7th to 10th grade What
happens after 10th grade Familiar with school Progress report Likes the quick summary of school on
Map Loves the CTA information Focused on a lot of ACT and SAT scores college prep is important
Classroom languages languages spoken by students or the support services or does it mean the classes
offered My kid have a choice for languages and thinks this is very important for non-English speaking
classes Top things to look at Course offerings (broad range of courses leads to better prep for
30
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
college) average ACT scores not sure if location is as important Will be going to Lane Tech and its a
long commute thats why bus information is so important CPS schools can be very limiting in courses 4
hours of research and knew a lot going in and was familiar with some of the top high school
Ecuadorian club was a major decision
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Did this before the School Locator tasks School has its own website and nothing was on the calendar
Had to call the school Spring break and Teacher conferences could be useful
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Amazed how much she likes it now Especially on the phone and found good and the right amount of
information Legibly School needs to make sure that all of the information is correct and no errors
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Its so nice to blather on and on hopes we are reaching a variety of people
2015-04-01 173806
31
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
5
Tester Profile (given by tester)
High School Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Walter Payton High School
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Email Newsletters from the school parent scuttlebutt
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
Searches more for information about schools her child is thinking
about attending
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Frequently information is not up to date links are broken I imagine its hard to feed the content beast -
It mostly seems to be the same information - but I want to know what makes my school different that
the others ()
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
Yes
If so how have you used it
I have used it to put in attendence and grade triggers but Ive given
access to my monitor her progress She doesnt use the student
portal (She started before the student portal was out)
32
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
I tried to use the website for finding out information about LSC
about the calender sometimes people ask me for information
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I noticed the carousel the search bar and that theres a warning banner about the site being down for
planned maintenance
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I see some options (school locator progress reports LSC elections) Clicks the school locator - and
now it looks kinda different than it did before doesnt look as welcoming - - Not sure how were
looking at looking at pipeline high schools (when looking at elementary schools) - I would look for
Belding - plug it in by address to figure out what the high school would be Its a little challenge
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
See above (Found some of the information - not all of it When you hover over a PIN - you can click
through for more information it takes you to a different website A lot more clear than the Illinois PTA
I wish there would be something to show whats different than this school From being in the
neighborhood I know what the differences are - but cant find that online) Searching for
schoolsearch by namesearch by address arnt working (had to reload page) Sometimes I wish that
we could compare
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Use the school locator - found all the info
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy Why or why not
33
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
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58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
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CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
experience
Yes
Going through the home page yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
How to contact how to get in touch with
people at the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
The phone number for the school is NOT on the page
(she found it - she was looking just below the map of
the school) - The Progress Report doesnt tell me
anything useful For programs and clubs theres no
way thats ever going to be up to date
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The school locator is hard because its co-mingles the Alpha - there used to be a way to search for
certain types of schools in certain types of neighborhoods I could whittle it down based on criteria and
now its not in the locator (She then discovered she can but that its not obvious) I like this ward
thing (political overlay)
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Meh - Because I didnt realize there were filters in the dropdowns
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Smithe
Why did you choose that school
Thats the school in this area clicked and looked at low-income students is because that gives me a
judgement call on if they have autonomy (she thinks that its a coalition) Would then go to NPN or CPS
Obsessed and get Parent to Parent info - theres lots of schools that have great stuff going on - but that
they dont get the information out there Isby used to have performance by co-hort- I thought it was
really important to see what ISAT scores were coming into the 3rd grade then what they were going
out Theres no place to find that information anymore
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
No it gave you the information that you would start to do further
research - but she would still have to do further research visit the
school peer to peer
34
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
LSC Principal Evaluation
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Used the search to find out about LSC training for principal evaluations The 2nd Link is Local School
Council training (which is better than what it used to be) - and I see the 9 modules - but not training
materials Found the link to the training portal but needs a user name password She just wanted to
see the training Tester tried to sign up (looks like you can sign up but doesnt know WHY she has
to sign up) Would be nice just to see The website does look to be available in English and Spanish but
theres a registration wall She then looked for the policy manual You can read last years guide to
school actions - but NOT the manual I put a little + in front of manual but it didnt work Put it in
quotes - didnt work Only finding things that reference the policy manual but not the manual itself
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has improved vastly than what it used to be One thing I would like to do is subscribe to the CPS
calendar on Google I used to be able to do it but at some point it stopped
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Nope I just think the website is better than it used to be I like the fact that it shows that its an old
page () In that case I am confused as to where to go I also used to be able to get info about principal
selection Even when youre ON the LSC
2015-04-01 175252
35
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
6
Tester Profile (given by tester)
husband and father of 1
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Nexus 5
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Funston
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Paper that she brings home
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
When they moved to the area they did but not as much now
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It has a website but it is not really maintaned and does not have much on it The main way to find
information out is on the paper sent home which doesnt always make it home
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
finding information when first transferring into the school
36
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Yes
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
it is mobile friendly 1 community bulletin board giving you information on what is going on 2 search
bar so you can get information that you need
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Students
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Clicked on students to see what that menu entry was for It just gives you general information about
school enrollment safe passages school locator and you can log into the parent portal Seeing the
different options for athletics
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searched for High school Clicked on first response High School Types page Overview of the
different types of high school The types are easy to understand Clicked on Small
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Started typing in search bar and used autocomplete
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was very slow to load the profile page
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
37
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
phone number direct information to things
happening inside the school information about
school ratings
Everything there is pretty pertinent
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
The results were good but the browser was not letting him scroll to the right Turning the phone
vertical showed some of the map Showing Safe Passage is good It would be good if there was a slider
or way to hide the menu to see more of the map
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It has potential but was difficult to use on the Nexus
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Clemente
Why did you choose that school
It showed Clemente as neighborhood high school but he wasnt sure that was the case It seems like
they are suggesting that Clemente is the one in district More familar with the term in district vs
neighborhood
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
You can click on a name and it pulls up information on the map and
then you can click to get to school profile page It is a good
incorporation of google maps
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
View recommended resources by grade
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Clicked on Grade 6-8 Clicked on Advancing grade 6-8 Tried clicking on English PDF for School Parent
Guide It was slow to start downloading Looking at high school requirements The pages list good
information about what happens in those grades The breakdown between grade groups is nice
38
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
It has a lot of information that is easy to get to and the user interface is pretty easy The site is a drastic
improvement from before A step in the right direction Improving the map and locator function on
mobile (making menu frame collapsible possibly)
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
Emails were going to spam for a while Learned
2015-04-01 181650
39
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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62
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
7
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent
Proctored by
Christopher Whitaker
What type of device are you using for this test
Laptop
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Mobile Phone
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Dett School (used to be Hershey)
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
Bullitan thats put up notes that are sent home - sometimes they try to contact via email
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
I guess the biggest challenge is the food theyre getting served - even if youre trying to report that there
may be something that they ate that got a child sick
How easy is it to find information about schools
4 - Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
To report some food poisoning that had happened before - look up
40
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
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Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
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Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Yes
after school program
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
The kids and graduation gowns search CPS and I guess the menue
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Schools
Tell us more about the first thing you did
It popped up to a new page thats giving me an option to search for schools - and shows me the
performance rate
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Im looking for my daughters school - and it looks like its not popping up (its not popping up) (Oh
yes it is - it was by first name (Robert Dett) It popped up and it basically showed me the ISAT score
is and what the address should be demographics it basically shows a schedule for the kids - what
services that they can provide dress code (ect)
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
(searched for school before) - Hoping to find more info about the healthy school program doesnt
really say its not certified - (doesnt really explain it)
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
I typed in what I wanted and a lot of things popped up about the
schools - shows what percentage of students are graduating
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
41
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
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(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
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63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
profile page
ISAT scores
Health School Certifications
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It pulled up other addresses - it only pulled up Monroe it didnt show up anything for our address
(Tester clicked the wrong thing for school locatorhas not been the only one) OK - now it shows
two neighborhood schools - but they should be showing 9 schools
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
It was just really easy to click on the things that I needed
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
She would want to send her child to either Walter Payton or Lane Tech
Why did you choose that school
Great academic programs they dont have as much negativity in the schools wants child to feel safe so
they could learn properly Didnt need to use the locator
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
No
Why or why not
DNA
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Staff
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Want to know what type of people are handling your kids - clicked staff and got to what looks like an
employee only page I really want to look at the calendar I want to know more about CPS - but I need
to know more
42
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
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Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
No
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
(Dont see a purpose) I think that they should have a thing about the staff (hiring practices) a little
more information on it This is stuff that we get when they send notes home anyway We need a
community parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
No
2015-04-01 183918
43
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
8
Tester Profile (given by tester)
parent of k
Proctored by
Josh Kalov
What type of device are you using for this test
Dell e6440
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
No
If not what is your primary device
Cell Phone Android
What browser are you using right now
Chrome
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
When she comes home he asks her about school and helps her with work
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
It isnt a big challenge Just going up to teachers and talking to them
How easy is it to find information about schools
5 - Very Easy
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
44
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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56
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57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
I like the page because you can locate your school directly I like that there is a calendar
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click Calendar
Tell us more about the first thing you did
I wanted to see if it was accurate about the dates spring break and what else was happening coming up
It is very easy to use It tells you how long Spring Break is parent teacher conferences School
Improvement Day The page is useful and easy to use
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Went to the school locator Asked about having to type or select the school Found Spencer acad It is
very easy to use I like that they give you the address phone type classification programs offered I like
that they tell you a lot
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
Go to Schools-gt School Locator -gt Search By Name -gt Look up childs school -gt Spencer Tech
Academy
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
45
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
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59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
profile page
Likes of kids Test s the bus information
glad that they show information on programs
at the school Most Important Overview page
Reports (I dont know what that is)
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
28 schools in 15 miles That is a good thing I didnt know there were that many schools The
infowindow information is good Neighborhood These are the closest schools near me
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Using the mouse and the radius Ability to select your school or use
your address
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Need to spend more time to look at schools
Why did you choose that school
Grades safety Locator feedback Likes the link for directions Grade Category selections is cool
I was wondering what the colors meant Performance ratings are good to know Opens Programs
Offered --gt Oh wow That is pretty cool Overlays lets see what overlays are - It breaks it down
into the most simplest of details
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
It flows easy and right to the point You can find more specific
information if you want to You can reset the map
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Topics
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Topics Useful for finding information It breaks things down into topics About About-gt
Departments If I had a question about the school or didnt feel something was going right at the school I
46
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
can go to a CPS office
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Have a profile for homework (parent portal) Make it easier to find parent portal
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191255
47
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
9
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Parent of Three Girls
Proctored by
Daniel X ONei
What type of device are you using for this test
Boost ZTE Max
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Built-in (Browser)
Which school(s) do your children attend
Spencer Academy
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
I participate in a lot of the functions and volunteer Thats how I find out whats going on Field trips
homework lunch room Usually word of mouth first and then by flyers or additional
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
Yes
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
I have looked before when she was first starting for information
about the school Ive heard a lot of stuff about the school But I like
her teachers and I go off of that Usually what people are saying
online is usually about the older grades
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Everybody was so secretive Only the teacher talked about it The principal other parentsmdash they were
secretive
How easy is it to find information about schools
2 - Difficult
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
48
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
Yes
If so what do you use the website for
At the beginning of the year went there based on something the
teacher said
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
People smiling I can see what it says (nice and bold) and everything is right there for you
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Click read more on the PARCC article
Tell us more about the first thing you did
ltScrolls through headlinesgt So I can go to any one of these Clicks It is a PDF Do I want to
download this She does (Letter from the Illinois State Board of Education to Chicago Public Schools)
It wont let me open it The file downloads When she clicks to open it she gets Cannot open
file
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
Searches for reading because my daughter can read pretty good and I want her to be prepared for
first grade Looking for tips They show me actually a lot of listings Clicks on Home parent
reading tips which is exactly what shes looking for Enjoyed the contentmdash especially about using the
library as a resource
Did you find what you are
looking for
Yes
How did you search
Using the search function
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
I like that it shows up because on my tablet sometimes I have trouble It gives me everything
Everything I really need to see is right here
Did you use the School Locator
No
Was this an easy
experience
Why or why not
All I had to do was go to it and everything was right there for me
49
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Yes
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
profile page
All the facts the map Overallmdash the phone
number for the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
I dont know
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
It gave me two schools 28 schools within 15 miles It gave me schools that were closer to me
schools I qualify for
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy actually
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Sullivan
Why did you choose that school
Because it will be closer to where I live and I actually know a couple of people who go there and they
say it is good I will get my own information about the school from the principal
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Everything is right there for you
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
Singing
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
My daughter loves to sing When presented with the out of date message she said if this isnt
50
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
accurate anymore they shouldnt have it Its like false advertising
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Remove outdated content
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
2015-04-01 191413
51
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Tester
10
Tester Profile (given by tester)
Meekmeek
Proctored by
Sonja Marziano
What type of device are you using for this test
Android HTC Desire Fire 10 Boost Mobile phone
Is this your normal device
that you use everyday
Yes
If not what is your primary device
What browser are you using right now
Internet
Which school(s) do your children attend
Hefferan Elementary
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrens school
TeacherParent Conferences report card pick up open houses
Do you search online for
information about the
schools your child(ren)
attend
No
What type of information do you search for online about
the school(s) your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding information about your school
(Either online or otherwise)
Finding event information
How easy is it to find information about schools
3 - Neutral
Do you use the CPS parent
portal
No
If so how have you used it
na
Have you visited the
Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
Not really
52
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
No
WEBSITE REVIEW
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Pull the grades up from home Broadcast what is coming up next events School Locator to find the
school
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Memorial Day event
Tell us more about the first thing you did
White screen no extra details about Went back and looked at grade categories Transportation
options
Next search for information that you are interested in learning about What did you
search for and what did you learn
School profile page Wanted to see about the kids how they are doing what they are doing Looking for
grades and assignments Progress reports and see how they are doing
Did you find what you are
looking for
No
How did you search
By clicking on a topic
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searched and the information
that you found
The first time the list did not appear Scrolls very quickly to find the school Did not see the name of
the school Clicked on the name but its not showing the next page for the school profile page Loaded
and came to the same page tried to refresh
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
What do you think is the most
important information on the school
What do you think is the least important
information on the school profile page
53
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
profile page
Progress reports admissions everything
Everything is important
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell us about the results
you found What did you learn
Did not see the search for address option Just searched by and street name It tells you about all of
the schools in the area When moving to transfer to another school Did not see a map no map appears
It got address milesdistance Show all Schools Filters are not relevant without map Map only
appears in horizontal mode
Was this an easy
experience
Yes
Why or why not
Very easy
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your child is starting the 9th
grade (High School) Use the School Locator tool and figure out what school your child
should attend What school did you choose
Marshall
Why did you choose that school
Seems to prefer to search by name vs address No map Choose first school by distance to find a
school close to home
Was using the School
Locator an easy experience
in choosing a new school
Yes
Why or why not
Searches by distance
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested in learning about
What did you choose
District Calendar
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
Download the calendar calendar does not show up Goes ahead and downloads the calendar pdf Has
to zoom in and out of the pdf Expected it to show on the calendar screen instead of downloading
Blank white area Calendar does not appear in horizontal mode It took a very long time to load
Would have moved on Dates for open enrollment interested in report card pickup picture day Staff
54
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
resources -- information about the staff Students -- school enrollment thinks that she can apply online
and learn steps on the enrollment process Lets you do your research on a page
OVERALL REVIEW Do you like Chicago Public
Schools website
Yes
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
Yes
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
I definitely will to pick what high school I want It has all of the information that you need Less
downloads -- seems annoyed to have to download for a lot of information Usually have popups with
information (new tabs) Leads to the Scholarships page (first thing is a download) Likes the
transportation options More graphics
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Yes
Anything else to add
I liked a lot
2015-04-01 191854
55
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Make $20 for a test of a public schools website
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Weve got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group(CUTGroup) by testing a schools website This website allows parents to search andfind information about public schools throughout Chicago
Are you a parent of a Chicago Public School student Are you available for a 30shy45 minute inshyperson test on Wednesday April 1 between 400 shy 730 PM If soplease complete this form
We are in the process of gathering responses so we will be in touch to checkavailability and confirm that you are right for this test We are looking for about15 testers
For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card Youll also help makebetter software for Chicago
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questions
Remember if you want to be a part of this test please complete this form
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
56
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
57
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a school website We were lookingspecifically for testers like you who have children that go to Chicago Public SchoolsYour feedback will be invaluable and we hope you can still make it
Now that we have our location nailed down wed like to know if you can still make itnext Wednesday and if so what time you want Here are the details
Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
There are limited slots available for this night and its coming up fast so pleaselet us know as soon as you can We will get back to you with a confirmation ofyour time if you are chosen to do this test
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
58
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
59
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
We still have spots open in our next CUTGroup test of a school website and we hopeyou can join us We are looking specifically for testers like you who have children thatgo to Chicago Public Schools
Here are the details Wednesday April 1 2015Between 400 shy 730 PMChicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch1101 W Taylor Street
If you can still make it on this night please let us know what time slot you wantby completing this form For your participation you will receive a $20 VISA gift card
We will get right back to you with a confirmation of your time
If this location doesnt work for you or if you just cant make it on this night after all nobig deal If you have any questions or comments just hit reply and let me know whatyou think
Remember use this form to tell us about your availability
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup
shyshy
Daniel X ONeil
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
60
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
61
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Thanks for being willing to help out
Hi ltltFirst Namegtgt
I wanted to follow up with you about testing a school website We really appreciate yourresponse to our callshyout Weve received lots of responses and were lookingspecifically for parents who have children who go to Chicago Public Schools Sinceyou indicated you do not have children who go to CPS you were not selected for thistest
We do want to keep you informed The site were testing is the CPS website The CPSwebsite provides a wide range of information for parents about schools Recentlythe CPS website was redesigned to be more parent focused and mobile devicefriendly
Even though you were not selected for this test we have a lot more tests coming upWe will send you info on our next test (in a few weeks or so) and well definitely try tospread the tests around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroupexperience
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup As usual call or write with questionsshyshy
Daniel X ONeil(773) 960shy6045doneilcctorg
Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate
62
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Facebook Twitter Website
Creative Commons Attribution 30 Unported License 2015 Smart Chicago Collaborative unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
63
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup Test Schools WebsiteIf you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test please complete this form We will follow-up tocheck your availability and let you know if you qualify for this test
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safe guarding the data you share with us andyour online privacy Our On-Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at wwwsmartchicago2012wufoocomdomain
Yes
No
Are you available for an in-person test on Wednesday April 1 for 30minutes between 400 and 730 PM
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older
Yes
No
Do you have any children who go Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 NA
What grades are your children in Check all that apply
What type of school(s) do your children go to
How long have you lived in Chicago
64
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
CUTGroup Test CPSeduThanks for participating in our test of the Chicago Public Schools website
About youFirst some preliminaries Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test but will not associate yourname or email address with the results
About SchoolsNext we want to hear about your experience getting information about your child(ren)s schools
First Last
Name
Give yourself a tester profile
Proctored by
What type of device are you using for this test
Yes
No
Is this your normal device that you use everyday
If not what is your primary device
Safari
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Other
What browser are you using right now
Which school(s) do your children attend
65
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
How do you typically learn about what is happening in your childrensschool
Yes
No
Do you search online for information about the schools yourchild(ren) attend
What type of information do you search for online about the school(s)your child(ren) attend
What do you think is the biggest challenge in finding informationabout your school (Either online or otherwise)
5 - Very Easy
4 - Easy
3 - Neutral
2 - Difficult
1 - Very Difficult
How easy is it to find information about schools
Yes
No
Do you use the CPS parent portal
If so how have you used it
Yes
No
Have you visited the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website before
If so what do you use the website for
66
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Website reviewLets review the website
Review the homepage What are three things that you notice first
Click Calendar
Used the Search
Clicked on Recommended Resources by Grade
Click Topics
Click About
Click Students
Click Staff
Click Schools
Other
Explore the site Whats the first thing you do
Tell us more about the first thing you did
Next search for information that you are interested in learningabout
What did you search for and what did you learn
67
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Yes
No
Did you find what you are looking for
By clicking on a topic
Using the search function
How did you search
Next search for your childs school Tell us about how you searchedand the information that you found
Yes
No
Did you use the School Locator
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
What do you think is the most important information on the schoolprofile page
What do you think is the least important information on the schoolprofile page
68
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Next use the School Locator tool and search for your address Tell usabout the results you found What did you learn
Yes
No
Was this an easy experience
Why or why not
Next pretend you just moved to a new neighborhood and your childis starting the 9th grade (High School) Use the School Locator tooland figure out what school your child should attend What school didyou choose
Why did you choose that school
Yes
No
Was using the School Locator an easy experience in choosing a newschool
Why or why not
Next explore the site and choose something that youre interested inlearning about What did you choose
Tell us why you chose what you did and about your experience
69
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-
Overall Review
Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
Yes
No
Do you like Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Would you use Chicago Public Schools website in the future
In what ways would you improve Chicago Public Schools website
Yes
No
Do you like CUTGroup
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test
Anything else to add
70
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Results
- CUTGroup-15-CPS-Responsesdocx
- New CUTGroup Opportunity_ Test a Website about Schools
- Details for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Spots Still Open for next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Not-selected-Update on the Next CUTGroup Test of a School Website
- Screening-Questions-CUTGroup Test_ Schools Website
- CUTGroup Test_ CPS
-