Self Tests: Useful or Useless?

by Wendy Sears, Webmistress
Assess Risk
1 September 2002

It is amazing how people succumb to fads and fashion. In the sixties it was short hair and even shorter skirts. The seventies played host to flares and perms. And so it is with award programs. Whether it's the infamous status page or resource pages filled with rehashed advice, each passing year brings some new "must have" for award programs.

One such fad is the self test. Perhaps the use of the word "fad" is inappropriate here since self tests seem to have a somewhat enduring quality. But how useful is this device? The tools that have staying power are the ones that have purpose and are likely to be used. Can the self test really be placed into this category? A closer examination may provide the answer.

What Is It For?

The self test is often comprised of a series of questions, designed to allow the potential applicant to ensure they meet the requisite requirements for an award. Its inclusion often presupposes that the applicant has read the main criteria of the award program, and it acts as a reinforcement — or sometimes a simple clarification — of that criteria.

As the name implies, it is a test that the award applicant may decide to take before he commits himself finally, and irrevocably, to depressing the submit button on an application form. It is an optional service provided by the award giver.

There are four possible motives for using the self test. We will examine each of these motives and provide some analysis.

1. A desire to assist award applicants.

One of the reasons for using the self test is a genuine desire on the part of award givers to ensure that applicants have the best possible chance of winning an award.

We have all seen the alert messages that arise when using modern software. We press a button to submit or delete information, and we are asked "Are you sure you want to perform this function?" The self test page could be said to perform just such a function. It asks the question "Are you sure that your site complies sufficiently to submit it for consideration." It is a failsafe mechanism for the award applicant who may have genuinely missed something when reading the criteria.

2. A desire to prevent time wasters.

Another reason for using the self test page is the desire on the part of the award giver to discourage the group of individuals that could be generically categorised as "time wasters." These are the individuals who are prepared to simply complete the application form without reading the criteria of the program.

Many, if not all, award programs will have had to contend with such submissions. Often the sheer inappropriateness of the submission is not realised until the evaluator has peered through the dim corridors of the applicant's site, and by then he will have already wasted precious time. Using the self test, which makes it clear that "you will not receive an award if ...," can be viewed as a time saving mechanism.

Using the self test for this purpose is only appropriate when the award giver has first looked at his criteria to determine if there is an obvious reason for applicants failing to read it. Is the criteria cumbersome, too unwieldy, too complicated to understand, or as boring as hell? The criteria forms the heart of an award program. If rectifiable faults can be identified, either in the content or in the method of presentation, then the use of a self test becomes almost redundant.

If the content and presentation cannot be improved, then it can be assumed that applicants fail to read the criteria because they are essentially lazy. In this case, it is doubtful they will ever take the time to read the self test questions.

3. A desire to improve an award rating.

Using the self test may be seen as a way to impress award organisations and thus to improve the possible ratings that may be attained. When evaluating programs, award organisations will use set criteria and there is often a degree of flexibility built into that criteria. They might not ask for a self test to be present, but they may stress the importance of usability or interactivity.

Using self test pages may, in the mind of the evaluator, be an outward sign that an award program is willing to go the extra mile to provide usability or interactivity. On such things may ratings hang, at least in the minds of the evaluators.

4. A method of ensuring the criteria is read.

Having acknowledged that many people do not read the criteria, the self test may perform the function of shortened criteria. Thus, self tests are directed at those applicants who are unlikely to read the weightier information, but who may be enticed by a few clipped phrases. Often self test pages can be seen with short statements reiterating the criteria and with points listed at the end, indicating the value of adhering to that "criterion."

I would suggest that this is a bastardisation of the self test's true function. It no longer becomes an optional feature. Instead, it attains the characteristics of a key component within the program, and in many ways it assumes greater importance than the main criteria.

However, I suspect many people would say that anything that encourages applicants to read the criteria, no matter the form or method of presentation, can only be a good thing.

What Should a Self Test Look Like?

Having looked at the possible reasons for using a self test, what should such a beast look like?

A. It should reflect the criteria.

First of all there are no hard and fast rules for self tests. They will come in all shapes and sizes. However, a self test must reflect the criteria if it is to serve a useful purpose. If it asks different questions than the main criteria, it will be confusing in the extreme. This is an important issue to remember, especially as criteria is updated.

B. It should be positioned correctly.

The position of the self test is important. If the award giver seeks to encourage applicants to use the self test, then tucking it away in some obscure recess of the award program is not going to achieve the desired result. There should be clear and unambiguous signposts within the program.

The wording of those signposts also becomes important. Simply stating that "there is a self test available if the applicant wants to use it," is hardly a persuasive argument for it's use. However, making it clear that the self test can improve the applicant's chances to win the award would concentrate his mind a little.

Also, a self test positioned after the submit page would not encourage it's use. The importance of this page to the award giver — and therefore to potential applicants — can often be assumed by its position. After all, would it not have been positioned before the submit page if it was so important or useful?

C. It should be user-friendly.

The self test should not be as wieldy as the main criteria. Short cropped statements are sufficient, especially where the purpose is to reinforce the main criteria. If an applicant has already read the criteria, he is not going to thank you for making him go through it all again. And he is hardly likely to visit a self test that is as detailed as the criteria he could not be bothered to read.

A self test contained within a form with checkboxes enables the applicant to work systematically through the self test and to chart his progress.

D. It should be clear.

It is important to explain the function of the self test to the applicants. They should never be left believing that the self test in some way will guarantee an award. The award giver must make this clear. Clarity should also extend to a clear understanding in the mind of the award giver as to why the self test is being used in the first place. Only then can it be managed effectively.

Conclusion

So, self tests: useful or useless? In the final analysis, the answer to this question depends on whether they enhance a program's effectiveness and meet the award giver's needs, or just add to already existing weighty pages. The answer will be different for each award program. As for myself ... the jury is still out.