OWCP_Focus groups for collecting customer feedback for Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC)

DEEOIC Focus Group Framework – Authorized Representative
Workshop
Group and Session Characteristics:

Each group will be comprised of up to 12 participants. Participants will Authorized Representatives that
are attending a two-day workshop. Three sessions will be run. The sessions will be no longer than 60
minutes.

DEEOIC Staff Roles:

Moderator: The Moderator will guide the discussion using predetermined questions.
Assistant Moderator: The Assistant Moderator will take notes.

Focus Group Agenda
Welcome and Introductions:
•
•

Introduce Moderator and Assistant Moderator.
Explain the purpose of the session: To collect feedback on our customers’ experiences in the
DEEOIC program. In particular, we are interested in feedback regarding the use of our digital
resources and tools. We aim to understand their usage patterns, pain points, preferences, and
suggestions for improvement to enhance overall user experience. Feedback will be used
generate a report that will be shared with the agency’s leadership. We will make
recommendations to improve our digital resources based on these results. We want your input
and want you to share your honest and open thoughts with us.

Ground Rules:

Moderator will share ground rules to establish group norms and to help the group run smoothly and
respectfully for all participants. Ground rules will be displayed on a flip chart or white board.
1. There are no right or wrong answers, only different points of view. You don’t need to agree with
others, but we ask that you listen respectfully as others share their views.
2. Only one person speaks at a time.
3. It is important that we hear all sides of an issue – positive and negative. We want to hear a wide
range of opinions.
4. Please turn off or silence your cell phones. If you must respond to a call, please do so as quietly
as possible and rejoin us when you can.
5. What is shared in the room stays in the room. We want everyone to feel comfortable sharing
when sensitive issues come up. The results of this group will be reported on but names or other
identifying information will not be used.
6. My role as moderator is to guide the discussion. The role of the assistant moderator is to take
notes.
The Moderator will ask the participants if they have anything to add to the list. The note taker will add
these to the list.

Establishing Rapport and Icebreaker:

The Moderator will ask participants to introduce themselves and to share the answer to an icebreaker

question (ex: how long have you been an Authorized Representative?, how familiar with the DEEOIC
website/digital tools are you?, etc.)

Discussion:

The Moderator will lead a guided discussion. At the beginning of the discussion, the Moderator will
explain that we want to hear about the customers’ experience using DEEOIC online resources. For the
purposes of this session, we are focusing on collecting feedback on available DEEOIC Online Resources
including the DEEOIC website, Energy Document Portal, other digital content, and the overall user
experience for our stakeholders. The Moderator will explain this to the group and present a visual for
the participants. A computer will be set up in the room displaying the DEEOIC website for the focus
group attendees. The Moderator will then ask the participants to report on their experience using our
digital resources.

Discussion about Current-state of DEEOIC Online Resources:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Overall Experience with DEEOIC Online Resources
Ease of Use
Specific Features Liked/Disliked
Challenges While Using Resources

Future-state visioning:
1. What changes to our digital resources could DEEOIC make to improve the experience of future
claimants and Authorized Representatives?
At the close of the discussion, the Moderator will invite the participants to share additional feedback on
topics that weren’t covered in the discussion.

Wrap-up:

The Moderator will summarize the main themes of the discussion and thank the participants for their
contributions.