Mediabarn is currently conducting a number of studies on behalf of the IRS.  The purposes of these studies is to make the IRS website and properties easier to use and more valuable to the end user.  Some of our studies will test parts of the IRS website on desktop and mobile.  Some studies we are just trying to gain an understanding of various audience groups and their informational needs, particularly as they apply to the IRS.gov website.  These are broad studies in which we are including a variety of users – from individual taxpayers and businesses to tax professionals and policy advisors.

The primary form of data collection is individual interviews and surveys.  Sometimes we will meet participants in person at our Arlington Usability Lab, in the courthouse area,  sometimes the interviews will just be a phone call or survey.   Sessions can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and participants are paid for their time, (in the form of a gift card or online payment) usually $75.  While we request the ability to record the session for research purposes, we will not ask for personally identifiable information and will not attribute comments to an individual respondent.   Findings will be aggregated into a final report.

We will NEVER ask for your social security number, or ask you to sign into any IRS website using your own real information. You can read our privacy policy at http://www.mediabarnresearch.com/privacy/

The OMB Control Number for this study is 1545-2256.