GreenGuardian.com Website Evaluation Submitted by: MarketLine Research, Inc. June 8, 2004

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Background & Objective Background In 2003, the SWMCB launched a major public information initiative with the Green Guardian logo and GreenGuardian.com as the centerpieces. The website is designed to communicate SWMCBs environmental messages to a targeted audience of educated women in the 25 to 54 age bracket. Objective The reported research was designed to both quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate usability of the GreenGuardian.com web site with the intended target audience.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Research Design & Process Step 3 Step 2 Step 1 Step respondents are qualified and surveyed for search engine use on the Internet. 42 agree to visit and evaluate site. 42 respondents are ed instructions for performing 5 disposal related searches on GreenGuardian.com 6 new participants are recruited and attend usability lab testing sessions at Leeds Research facility. 42 respondents are contacted after they visit site and complete tasks. They participate in an 11 min survey.

Telephone Survey n = 42

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Methodology – survey research 107 participants completed a short telephone survey 39% (42) agreed to visit the Green Guardian web site to complete five search related tasks and participate in a follow-up telephone survey to evaluated their experience – 7 participants from each of the six SWMCB counties visited the site and performed the five assigned tasks – the average site visit was 11 minutes – Visits ranged in length from 4 to 45 minutes Each person completing the follow-up telephone survey was mailed $15 for their participation

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Respondent Profile Age 25 to 34 yrs.21% 35 to 44 yrs.38% 45 to 54 yrs.41% Education Some technical school12% Technical school graduate 2% Some college29% College graduate40% Post graduate17% All work full or part-time

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Profile of Computing Behavior Comfort Using Search Engine Very comfortable74% Somewhat comfortable24% Not very comfortable 2% Frequency of Search Engine Use Daily69% Weekly26% Monthly 2% Most Used Search Engine Google59% Yahoo22% MSN 7% Other12% 98% use computer to look for environmental information 67% search for solutions to household problems 78% use computer to buy or order products 48% have used computer to find information on environmental activities such as recycling or composting 5% (2 persons) had previously visited GreenGuardian.com

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research First Impressions of Green Guardian Site Comments on Appearance Pleasant looking Friendly calming effect Clear/colorful Not cluttered Attractive to eye Not real flashy/glitzy Professional Straight forward Green good to eye Cute/catchy Not many pictures Drab background color Monotone Comments on Content Not overwhelming Seemed simple Informative Place for environmental information All about recycling Associated with lawn care Confusing Looked intimidating with all the words Guy with shield nice

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research First Impressions of Green Guardian Site - continued Comments on Organization Relevant categories Easy access to information Clear layout Indexed site Easy to use Neat Easy to read

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research First Impressions of Mascot Logo Comments on Appearance Great/cute/light/fun Pleasing to eye/calming Not powerful but friendly More like javelin than sword Eyes and mouth move Not good, not bad Underdone/doesnt stand out Not eye catching / not memorable Unimpressive Lacks color Doesnt grab you/nothing stuck out Kinda goofy/kind of dorky Didnt pay attention to it Dont remember details Comments on Message Illustrates what site is about Realized it was for recycling Related to environmental concerns Makes sense – he guards everything Fits website name Could tell I was in right place Doesnt demand that you recycle Clever Funny/humorous Dont think it is a site to help me out with recycling

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Importance of Various Site Attributes Attribute% Rating 5 or 4% Rating 3% Rating 1 or 2 Easy navigation98%-2% Can get to information quickly93%7%- Informative91%9%- Fast loading91%-7% Home page well organized91%9%- Easy to understand links86%9%5% Helps me solve problems83%14%2% Provides direction or information on what to do 83%17%-

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Importance of Site Attributes - continued Attribute% Rating 5 or 4% Rating 3% Rating 1 or 2 Consistent features74%19%2% Provides answers to FAQs64%36%- Good balance text & graphics60%33%7% Provides technical information57%29%14% Uses photo/illustration for communicating ideas 52%29%19% Overall site is graphically appealing 52%29%19% Offers hot links to other information sites 43%38%19%

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Rating of Green Guardian Site Attributes Attribute% Rating 5 or 4% Rating 3% Rating 1 or 2 Home page well organized100%-- Easy navigation98%2%- Provides direction or information on what to do 98%2%- Informative98%2%- Helps me solve problems98%2%- Fast loading93%5%- Easy to understand links93%5%2% Offers hot links to other information sites 93%7%-

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Attribute% Rating 5 or 4% Rating 3% Rating 1 or 2 Consistent features91%7%- Can get information quickly91%9%- Provides answers to FAQs91%2% Provides technical information88%7%- Good balance text & graphics83%17%- Overall site is graphically appealing 83%12%5% Uses photo/illustration for communicating ideas 62%38%- Rating of Green Guardian Site Attributes - continued

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Able to Find Disposal Information on GreenGuardian.com Disposal item % respondents Old computer monitor 98% Partially filled aerosol can of 98% oven cleaner Partially filled can latex paint 95% Used fluorescent light bulbs 93% All participants found location of their county hazardous waste drop off site.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Ease of Completing Searches on GreenGuardian.com Rating Very easy 74% Somewhat easy24% Neither easy nor difficult 2%

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Reasons Given for Easy Searches Format One place, up front Format easy to follow Categories made sense Differentiation between house items and yard items Major categories on left hand side and subcategories on the right Search engine Content Concise clear headings of where to go Topics were relevant Used terminology I would use Straightforward simplistic text County listing and links helpful

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Rating Amount of Information Rating Not enough 0% Just right95% Too much 5%

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Rating Clarity of Information Rating Very clear76% Clear 22% Somewhat clear 2%

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Overall Site Rating Very good(5) 71% (4) 29% (3) (2) Very poor (1)

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Reasons for Positive Ratings of Site Navigation Easy to find information Easy to click onto other sites Got what I needed Got information very quickly Answers quicker than telephone Content Informative Gave a lot of information Completeness of information Well organized Categories you needed Appreciate maps Appearance Clean Easy to read Easy on eyes Typeface right size Subtle, but good

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Website Value Statements Information Related Source of information on disposal of anything A metro-area resource for information on reduce and reuse Excellent resource for conserving and recycling Excellent resource for household hazardous waste Great site to find out about environmental issues Can check to dispose of hazardous things Useful site especially when it comes to spring cleaning and outdoor stuff User Benefits Will save you time and money Has everything in one place – dont need four or five other websites Dont have to wait for a telephone person – most stuff self explanatory

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Suggestions for Site Enhancement Design Add more categories to home page Better navigation back to home page More graphics on home page Make TV computer monitor icon a clickable link Better name that fits what I am looking for Make search engine more noticeable Content More child-friendly More interesting for 13 yr. old List prices for disposal of things Put in local community recycling listings Communications Get the word out its available Tell where you will promote site Announce site in garbage or electric bills sign up

Usability Lab Testing n = 6

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Methodology – usability lab testing 6 usability sessions were conducted at Leeds Research facility in Plymouth Each session consisted of discussions and specific tasks performed on the GreenGuardian.com web site Each session lasted about 30 minutes Sessions were videotaped for inclusion of participant comments in this report Each person was paid $75 for their participation

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Profile Moderately-to-very web-savvy, college-educated women Working full or part-time Between the ages of Who had not been to this site before the session

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Session Format Participants logged onto the site and with the facilitation of the moderator did the following: Took quick look at home page and gave 1 st impressions as to look and site purpose Discussed expectations for each of the content categories on home page Performed three search scenarios to locate information Examined the Know What to Throw section in detail Revisited the home page and discussed organization Provided reactions to the Green Guardian mascot

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Green Guardian Name / Purpose The name Green Guardian has a logical association with the environment as well as grass/lawncare. – In a top of mind guess after hearing just the name lawn and garden is often listed first. – It becomes obvious that the site ties into healthy environmental habits after a glance or two at the home page. Recycling is often the first term that people mention once they look around the home page and describe its content. But, a clear statement of purpose does not jump out at users. – The story of the Green Guardian is not likely to be read in full by many. Even when forced to view it, most only perused the text. – More could be done to emphasize the mission of the site when a person first gets on the site. – This statement should talk about the quick how to as much as the good reasons why as it relates to proper disposal.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – 1 st impressions

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Getting to the Site People will likely search using words like recycling, environment, or disposal if trying to find information on the Internet about how to properly dispose of items: – It would be important that words like these lead people to this site if people come in through Google and the like. – Increased external awareness that a site like this exists would also be crucial if the purpose of the site is to increase the number of people/households who exhibit good behavior. Some people might think about checking with their county for disposal rules and options, but it is not top-of-mind for all. Some do not expect there to be differences in policies or processes from county to county. People simply want to know how to dispose of items or to get a list of possible places they can go in the metro area that will accept their items.

Home Page

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Mascot The Green Guardian mascot is perceived as cute and inviting to some whereas, goofy and juvenile to others. – The recycle sign on his shield ties him to the site. – To some his story is informative without being preachy. But, most ignore it. – People noticed movement in the eyes and the revolving ball. But, few noticed the text descriptors change. Movement is fine, if not good. It signals to some that the site is working and has not locked up. – A few people want to tweak things, of course: remove the armor because of its connection with violence. face him the other way so that the text descriptors can face left versus right, where they will be more noticeable. While another mascot or logo may speak more profoundly to some, it is difficult to find one that pleases all. This mascot seems to be noticeable and unique to most. It should help people remember the name of the site, if nothing else.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – mascot

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Color/Aesthetics The green color on the GreenGuardian.com site is seen as a logical choice and some find it calming. But, there may be too much green, making the appearance kind of drab. While it need not be bright, some color would help to: – accentuate and emphasize key issues and areas – make the site look more exciting Some feel visual images might be nice on the home page, too. These photos and images could be used to highlight hot topics.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – aesthetics

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Categorization The main categories that branch off the home page are fairly straight forward. But the following were confusing to some: At Work: – People seem to assume that this is a site for households. – Some would never think to go to a site for work-related disposal. – Companies tend to have established policies for the disposal of commonly discarded items (food, chemicals, bottles). – The introductory page for the work section highlights a pie chart that shows where our garbage goes. The lead in sentence references businesses, but at a glance the content does not jive with the title. Not all know that FAQ stands for frequently asked questions even though it is used quite often in other places (and other websites). News & Events could/should contain global news about environmental issues or tragedies not just Green Guardian sponsored/affiliate events.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Other Ways to Categorize Some had suggestions on how to streamline the existing categories to something like this: Know what & how to throw (best ways to dispose of or donate items) Know what & how to buy (things to consider when buying products) Find out how to get involved (events in the community, activities for kids, etc.) Find out more about us and our mission (FAQ, important links, etc.) A user-based classification method was introduced to some ( home, work, kids, etc.) but did not seem to improve on the current approach, if at all.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – alternative categories

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Home Page Recap Use some color and images to highlight things Possibly to streamline these categories Make the overall purpose jump out more clearly These could be more prominent

Inside Know What to Throw

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Content The content on the site is useful, eye-opening in some cases, and comprehensive. Several learned something they did not already know during the session. They said things like: – Yuk. I didnt realize monitors have lead in them – I didnt realize you had to know how to compost – I didnt realize there were these non-profits who take/want items others dispose of Although people were OK with the mix of education and action, and expected both, they were not expecting the information/education part to be so prominent.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Some Education is Critical Even those who considered themselves quite aware of the reasons why proper disposal is important were enlightened in some way. Those less aware can use it to defend a request (of kids) or to see why a change in behavior would be good. Those less aware might be turned off if the message interferes with their ability to act, but may need a few tidbits of information to gradually change their behavior in a positive direction.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – education Even those who considered themselves quite aware of the reasons why proper disposal is important were enlightened in some way. Those less aware can use it to defend a request (of kids) or to see why a change in behavior would be good. Those less aware might be turned off if the message interferes with their ability to act, but may need a few tidbits of information to gradually change their behavior in a positive direction. – You are much more likely to get me to do something if there is a good reason for it. And, not only that Ill do it willingly and with enthusiasm. – I dont want to know about legislation about it? No. I just want to know how to get rid of it.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Layout The site is easily navigable, but not very efficient when trying to get to an answer. – There is too much text – Getting to the answer is the first priority (How do I x?) – Education is nice and can happen in manageable doses

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – layout

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Amount of Text Research has shown that people do not read web pages, they scan them 1 typically from top to bottom, left to right: – They read web pages more like a billboard than a book. – They might see something like this when searching for something specific: 1 J. Nielson, How Users Read on the Web. Alertbox 1997 How to get rid of TVs

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – text

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research One Womans Redesign Ideas

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Organization Things are not always where they are expected. – Information on TV disposal is easy to find. – Information on fluorescent lights it not. The actual trail to is: Know what to throw > toxins & poisons The most intuitive path is: Know what to throw > household items In the case of household items for one, many people want/expect to find a laundry list of bulleted items to click on. This list can be long if alphabetized since it is easy to search through. People can also review and make mental notes of other items that need special disposal in the future. People want to make obvious progression with each click and ideally get to things in just a few clicks. Almost no one experienced this when looking for fluorescent light disposal. Search is often a last resort and can save the experience if they get there successfully, so it is important that it work well. {Some felt the results that show up under search were not in the format they expected (bullets or phrases to take them to a specific action verses a topic area}

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Participant Reactions – organization I was expecting light bulbs/lights to jump out at this point. The first one I saw was batteries so I assumed light bulbs would have been under this…If it is not here, Id expect it under a miscellaneous category. Why are batteries listed here but lights are not? It is misleading. I would just assume if it is not here it is not a problem issue. That is I can throw it in the trash. If I dont see an item listed under household items then I assume it is not a big issue. The ones that are listed must be the most important. If not, then all items should be listed – even if the list is long – thatd be ok.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Signaling Progression: When within the know what to throw section the page layout looks very similar as a person clicks into the sub-categories. – At a glance the layout is similar enough that some people do not realized they have moved on from the initial page. – While consistency is good in many ways, a change in color or some change in the layout might make it easier to notice. See example on the next slide Note: Several people had confusion determining the difference between categories, such as household hazardous waste and toxins & poisons.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Progression Example At a glance these two pages look very similar (not like one has moved deeper into a new set of information)

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Audience With the exception of possibly the mascot, most feel the site is geared for adults. This site would be appropriate for kids but not enticing to kids. – The kids section on the site was a reasonable start, if a child wanted something to do and ended up there. – But, if a goal of the organization is to cultivate a future audience there may need to be a more visible attraction for kids on the home page. – Kids are more picture oriented or short phrase oriented versus big paragraphs.

June 8, 2004 MarketLine Research Overall Enhancement Considerations Communicate more clearly the focus of the site on the home page. Make home page statement of purpose more eye catching. Review position of search engine on home page. Examine the length of scroll down menus with possibility to shorten. Review the hierarchy of item placement for any possible confusion e.g. fluorescent bulbs. Examine the need for navigational aides for returning to the home page from county pages. If site is to be used by kids, consider shortening text and adding element of visual excitement to a section devoted to them. Have more material for teachers.