Banknote Usability - Round 8 Add-on Polarization Security Feature Recruitment Screener

INTERNAL FR/OFFICIAL USE // EXTERNAL

Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0

Banknote Usability Round 8 Add-On Polarization
Security Feature SCREENER
Project Background
We will be running focus groups in three markets, seeking to understand the feasibility of
potential new banknote designs. Participants will be asked to handle new designs and
provide feedback.

Logistics
Overview
Sample Size

Location

Session Type
Session Length
Field Dates
Compensation

Recruit 6 per group to seat 5 per group
8 groups per market (across 2 days of fieldwork per market)
• 5 groups of only General Cash Users
• 3 groups of only Business Cash Users
3 markets (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles)
Total recruit of n = 144
• 90 of these will be General Cash Users
• 54 of these will be Business Cash Users
Chicago UX Labs: 227 W Monroe Street, Floor 11, Suite 1100,
Chicago, IL 60606
Pittsburgh facility location TBD
Los Angeles facility location TBD
Focus Group
Approximately 60 minutes
Chicago: November 11-12
Pittsburgh: November 19-20
Los Angeles: December 3-4
Chicago:
• General Cash Users: $125
• Business Cash Users: $150
Pittsburgh:
• General AND Business Cash Users: $125
LA:
• General Cash Users: $125
• Business Cash Users: $175

INTERNAL FR/OFFICIAL USE // EXTERNAL

Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0

Chicago, IL

Chicago UX lab, November 11-12, Example schedule (exact times subject to change)
Monday Nov 10 Tuesday Nov
11
9:30am10:30am
11:30am12:30pm
Lunch
Internal pilot in 2:00pmafternoon
3:00pm
4:00pm5:00pm

Wednesday Nov
12
9:30am-10:30am
11:30am-12:30pm
Lunch
2:00pm-3:00pm
4:00pm-5:00pm

Pittsburgh, PA
Facility location TBD, November 19-20, Example schedule (exact times subject to
change)
Tuesday Nov
11
9:30am10:30am
11:30am12:30pm
Lunch
2:00pm3:00pm
4:00pm5:00pm

Wednesday Nov
12
9:30am-10:30am
11:30am-12:30pm
Lunch
2:00pm-3:00pm
4:00pm-5:00pm

Pittsburgh, PA
Facility location TBD, December 3-4, Example schedule (exact times subject to
change)
Tuesday Nov
11
9:30am10:30am

Wednesday Nov
12
9:30am-10:30am

INTERNAL FR/OFFICIAL USE // EXTERNAL

Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0
11:30am12:30pm
Lunch
2:00pm3:00pm
4:00pm5:00pm

11:30am-12:30pm
Lunch
2:00pm-3:00pm
4:00pm-5:00pm

Participant Overview
Ipsos will aim to recruit a pool of participants who are least 18 years old and are
nationally representative in terms of age, sex, and race/ethnicity. The demographic
data of the participants will not be reported to the Board. The only information on
participants that will be reported to the Board is the participant's status as a Cash
User.
Participants should also meet the additional criteria listed below in order to qualify for
the studies:
•
•

Must be articulate and willing to share opinions
Participant should be friendly, engaged, and display a helpful disposition during
screening

General Cash User Criteria
•
•

Use cash for personal transactions at least monthly
Do not regularly work with cash at their job

Business Cash User Criteria
•

•

Handle cash as part of their job, at least daily
ο Job responsibilities must go beyond handling occasional cash payment
transactions such as counting the drawer at the end of a shift
May or may not also conduct personal transactions with cash (not required)

Sunglass use (Q5)
•

We are looking for a mix of sunglass usage across all participants. In each
individual market (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles) sunglass use may skew

INTERNAL FR/OFFICIAL USE // EXTERNAL

Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0
towards more or less frequent use based on local climate; however, across all
markets we would like a mix.

Screener Questions
INTRODUCTION

Hello, my name is _______I am calling on behalf of _______ (recruiter). We are conducting paid voluntary inperson research sessions in September. We are NOT trying to sell you anything. This study will be conducted
by Ipsos on behalf of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, under the Ad Hoc Payments
Systems Survey (FR 3045a) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) No. 7100-0332, which expires
01/31/2026.

The screener question portion should take around 10 minutes to respond and if you qualify for the additional
session the study will last 1 hour. During that time, you will be asked to complete various tasks and offer your
perspectives. Any information about you will be kept strictly confidential as allowed by law.

You will be compensated for your time. Would you be interested in participating?

[If interested in participating] I would like to ask you some questions to see whether you are eligible to
participate.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response.
Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Secretary, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, Washington, DC 20551; and to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Paperwork Reduction
Project (7100–0332), Washington, DC 20503. The Federal Reserve may not conduct or sponsor, and an
organization (or a person) is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.

Questions

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Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0
[READ LIST. MARK ALL THAT APPLY.]
Q1 About how often do you personally use the following methods of payment for food,
goods or services?
PAYMENT TYPE
(RANDOMIZE)

Daily

CONTINU
E

Cash

Multiple
times a
week
CONTINUE

Weekly

CONTINUE

Monthly

CONTINUE

Never/Don’t
Use
HOLD
PENDING
Q3

A peer-to-peer
app such as
Venmo or
CashApp
A debit card
linked to a bank
account
A prepaid debit
card
A credit card
If never at Q1, skip to Q2
Q1A

In a few sentences, describe how you use cash.

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Terminate if left empty, response does not seem to indicate regular cash use, or
participant is not able to clearly articulate their thoughts.
Q2
What is your primary occupation or job? [OPEN ENDED]
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
[record and recruit representative group] Self-employed or business owner ok
If unemployed TERMINATE IF Q1 answer for Cash is or “Never”

INTERNAL FR/OFFICIAL USE // EXTERNAL

Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0
[READ LIST. MARK ALL THAT APPLY.]
Q3
About how often do you personally handle the following transactions AS PART
OF YOUR JOB?
TRANSACTION
Daily
Multiple
Weekly
Monthly
Never/Don’
TYPE
times a
t Use
(RANDOMIZE)
week
CONTINU Skip to Q5 Skip to Q5
Skip to Q5
Skip to Q5
Accepting
E
to
Q4
payments made in
cash
Skip to Q5
Skip to Q5
Making payments CONTINU Skip to Q5 Skip to Q5
E to Q4
to others in cash
Handling or
processing cash,
not as part of a
payment
transaction

CONTINU
E to Q4

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Accepting
payments made
through a peer-topeer app such as
Venmo or
CashApp

Skip to Q5 Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Making payments Skip to Q5 Skip to Q5
to others through a
peer-to-peer app
such as Venmo or
CashApp
Skip to Q5 Skip to Q5
Using a company
credit card to pay
for travel
Skip to Q5 Skip to Q5
Using a company
credit card to pay
for operational
expenses

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Skip to Q5

Must handle cash daily at work to be a Business User
TERMINATE if Q1 = Never for “Cash” AND participant is not a Business User

INTERNAL FR/OFFICIAL USE // EXTERNAL

Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0
Q4

Please describe your job responsibilities as they relate to handling cash

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Terminate if left empty, response does not seem to indicate regular cash use, or
participant is not able to clearly articulate their thoughts.

Recruiter note: We are looking for participants who are very familiar with cash and have an
occupational need to know how to spot a counterfeit bill. Business users should indicate
that they do more than handle occasional cash transactions in their job. After recording
their open-ended response, please USE QUESTIONS Q4A, Q4B, Q4C, Q4D TO
DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY BY TOTALING THE POINTS OF ALL ANSWERS. Point value is in
red next to each answer option. MUST TOTAL TO 5 OR MORE TO QUALIFY AS A
BUSINESS USER.
Q4A As part of your job duties, about how often do you accept payments, deposits
or tips in cash?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Q4B
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Never (0)
Less than once a day (0)
1 to 10 times a day (2)
11 to 20 times a day (2)
More than 20 times a day (5)
As part of your job duties, about how often do you make payments in cash?
Never (0)
Less than once a day (0)
1 to 10 times a day (2)
11 to 20 times a day (5)
More than 20 times a day (5)

Q4C As part of your job duties, about how often do you inventory cash (for example,
auditing cash drawers at the end of the day)?

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Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Q4D
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Never (0)
Less than once a day (0)
1 to 10 times a day (3)
11 to 20 times a day (5)
More than 20 times a day (5)
As part of your job duties, about how often do you deposit cash at a bank?
Never (0)
Less than once a day (0)
1 to 10 times a day (3)
11 to 20 times a day (5)
More than 20 times a day (5)

TOTAL ________ MUST TOTAL TO 5 OR MORE TO QUALIFY AS A BUSINESS USER

Q5

About how often do you wear sunglasses?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Always Maximum 20% of participants

Most of the time
Some of the time
Rarely
Never Maximum 20% of participants

Recruiter note: Within markets, responses to this question may skew towards more or
less sunglass use, based on the local climate. Across markets we would like a mix of
sunglass use, with participant responses spread across the five answer options, no
more than 20% of all participants answering “always” and no more than 20% of all
participants answering “never.”
To ensure we have a representative group of people, please answer the following
questions.

Q6

What is your sex?
f) Female
g) Male

Record and recruit a representative group

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Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0
Q7
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)

What is your racial or ethnic identity? Select all that apply
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino
Middle Eastern or North African
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
White

Record and recruit a representative group

Q8

What is your age? _______
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

0-17 years TERMINATE
18-24 years
25-34 years
35-44 years
45-54 years
55-64 years
65-74 years
75+ years

Record and recruit a representative group

IMPORTANT: MUST BE READ TO ALL QUALIFYING PARTICIPANTS

1. Thank you for your time; you have qualified for the study. Before we proceed with scheduling, we want
to give you more information about the study and outline what will be asked of you to complete the
study:
a. This kind of study is called a focus group and will last approximately 60 minutes.
b. You will be part of a group of 4-5 other participants and one researcher.
c. During your focus group you will be asked to share your opinions and experiences with
banknotes (cash).
d. You will not be video or audio recorded and no personal information will be captured. Your data
will be held confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside the client or Ipsos.
e. Based on your location and Cash Usage background, you will be given specific compensation
for your time. (See below for reference)

INTERNAL FR/OFFICIAL USE // EXTERNAL

i. Chicago:
1. General Cash Users: $125
2. Business Cash Users: $150
ii. Pittsburgh:
1. General AND Business Cash Users: $125
iii. LA:
1. General Cash Users: $125
2. Business Cash Users: $175

Ipsos/FRB Banknote Usability
Round 8 Add-On
October 9, 2025
Version 1.0

RECRUITER: Are you still interested in participating? IF YES CONTINUE WITH THE FOLLOWING
2. It is very important that you arrive 15 minutes before the start of your scheduled session time. If you are
running late, please call the number I will be giving you.
3. You will be asked to sign a consent and confidentiality agreement before participating in the study.
4. You must present a valid state-issued photo ID in conjunction with signing the consent and
confidentiality agreement. You will not be able to participate without it.
Do you agree with and accept all these provisions?
□
□

Yes
No [TERMINATE]