My Payment Qualitative Usability Testing

Prepared for the:
Canada Revenue Agency
FINAL REPORT
April, 2010
POR #117-09
Contract #: 46558-106716/001/CY
Contract award date: 2010-03-09

Prepared by:
Ipsos Reid

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Executive Summary

Ipsos Reid
Contract Number: 46558-106716/001/CY
Contract Date: 2010-03-09

Executive Summary

Background and Objectives

On October 5th, 2009, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) implemented a new web-based service called My Payment. This self service initiative is designed to allow taxpayers to pay their taxes electronically. The My Payment application is available through a link on the CRA website available to individual and business entities. It allows them to remit payments electronically through a secure link with Canadian financial institutions who offer INTERAC ® Online payment service. Taxpayers are able to quickly, easily, and directly submit payment from their bank account to the Receiver General for Canada.
( ® Trade-marks of INTERAC Inc. used under licence.)

The CRA identified the need to conduct qualitative research on the My Payment site to learn how members of the general public (using the site for personal tax needs) and business people (using the site for business tax needs) respond to the My Payment site: what benefits or drawbacks do they identify with respect to the service, do they find the site to be easy or hard to use, is the site clear or confusing.

Methodology

In order to meet the objectives of this research, Ipsos Reid conducted qualitative research among members of the general public and among business people. This research involved testing the site in its live environment, using an unassigned Social Insurance and Number (SIN) and Business Number (BN) to preserve the privacy of the participants.

Research participants

General public participants were screened to include those who have made payments to the CRA within the past two or three years either on their own behalf or on behalf of another. Business participants were screened to include those primarily responsible for submitting payments to the CRA on behalf of their business. In addition, all respondents were screened to include Internet users and those who have used the INTERAC to conduct a transaction in the past (shopping online, personal banking online or tax filing online).

Research approach

Two distinct qualitative research approaches were employed among these audiences, including:

• 18 interactive user interviews (IUIs – an IUI is a one-on-one navigational lab) conducted to test the usability of the My Payment service, including nine IUIs among general public respondents and nine among business participants; and,
• 6 focus groups (consisting of eight individuals per group) conducted in order to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the language and messaging used in the My Payment service, and to solicit feedback on how the site might be improved. Three of the six groups were conducted among members of the general public and three groups were conducted among business participants.

Locations of research

The research was conducted in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Two focus groups (one among general public participants, one among business participants) and six IUIs (three among general public participants and three among business participants) were conducted in each city. The research in Montreal was conducted in French. Fieldwork was conducted between March 25 and April 8, 2010.

Total contract value

The total contracted amount of this research was $59,590.

Key Findings and Recommendations

Overview

Generally speaking, participants from both the general public and business groups found the My Payment site intuitive and easy to use. However, they did not see it as offering them much advantage over paying online through their bank. In fact, for many, it seemed less advantageous for a number of reasons:

• The daily limit on INTERAC payments;
• The lack of ability to make post-dated payments/pre-program future payments (especially of concern to business participants);
• Unlike online banking, which offers opportunity to pay many different bills at once, the service is limited to payments to CRA;
• Unlike online banking services offered to businesses, there is no possibility of automatic integration of payments into accounting systems.

Few felt that the key advantages that they did perceive (immediacy, ability to specify the type of payment and make separate payments in a single transaction, a free service) were sufficient to motivate them to use the new service. Most participants are happy with the payment options already at their disposal, particularly the ability to make payments to CRA through online banking. At the same time, several said that the My Payment service (regardless of its shortcomings) represents a step towards making online interactions with government easier and was viewed in positive terms even if they, themselves, might not use it.

One change that would make the service more useful in the eyes of participants would be if the service offered them access to their entire CRA account, including their taxes owing and payments made.

Over and above the desire to make use of the service, many participants in the focus groups pointed out that they would be unable to use it because their financial institution was not one of the four participating institutions. This was especially the case in the Montreal groups, and was also heard in Vancouver (where many bank with one particular bank). It was unclear to most participants why the My Payment service was restricted to users of those four financial institutions. They tended to assume it was because CRA had made an agreement with the four banks (and did not recognize that it was because those four institutions participate in INTERAC Online).

Date modified:

2010-10-07