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Tips and tricks for connecting better with users across CMS

MACBIS User Categories and Personas

These user categories and personas will help you learn about the users of MACBIS products:

MACBIS User Categories

These are overarching user categories that encompass the majority of users across MACBIS

Personas from MACBIS Teams ****

These are personas collected from the product teams across MACBIS. There is significant variation due to the different types of products worked on.

Approaching Users for Research

Before engaging with a CMS stakeholder or user for research:

1. Check their participation preferences in the People database:
   • If the Open to Research field is set to Yes or Not now, proceed to step 2.
   • If the Open to Research field is set to No, do not engage with this person.
2. Check their Most Recent Contact date in the People tracker:
   • If the Open to Research field is set to Not now or if you’re not sure if it’s too soon to contact this person again, double-check their preference in the comments in their People profile.
   • If the Open to Research field is set to Yes:
     • If at least 6 months have passed since they were last contacted, proceed to step 3.
     • If it’s too soon (fewer than 6 months have passed) to contact them, do not engage with this person.
3. Scan the comments in their People profile for relevant past research engagements:
   • If there is no relevant research from other teams, proceed to step 4.
   • If there is overlapping research from other teams:
     1. Reach out to the team(s) that conducted the research. Share your research aims and objectives. Ask for context and whether your research is duplicative. Confirm the participant’s openness to research.
        • If the other team indicates your research does not overlap with what they did, proceed to step 4.
        • If the other team indicates your research does overlap with what they did, see what you can learn from the other team’s data and readouts. Consider getting on a call with them or asking for a walk-through of their research:
          • If there are still gaps that remain OR if the research overlaps but may need to verified or brought up to date:
            1. Make a research plan that addresses the gaps, eliminates duplicative questions, and asks more targeted questions building on past research.
            2. Proceed to step 4.
          • If the research is heavily overlapping and duplicative, do not engage with this person. Go back and digest existing research.
4. Read the column that contains the most recent research topic and reason for reaching out:
   1. Touch base with the last team that did research with that person.
   2. Get context from the last team that did research with them on what they did research on.
5. Contact to the person about participating in your research study.

Principles of Working With MACBIS Users

What To Know About Talking to Users in CMCS and States

Getting feedback and insights from research with users in the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) and states, including policy and program owners, is crucial to the design and development of successful MACBIS products. However, these users have limited time available to take part in research. So you should make every effort to prepare for conducting research with them. Here are some best practices for doing research with CMCS users and states:

Respect Their Time

• Make sure you can easily cover the topics you've planned within the time that you've scheduled with them (one hour is the typical length of time).

Be Prepared

• Come in with as much information as possible. Make sure that you have looked at previous research and done your homework. For example, if you’re interviewing someone about the SPA process, be sure you know what a SPA is and why it matters!

Practice

• Before a usability test or interview, it’s a good idea to practice your script in advance. You can practice with another colleague in your company or contractor partner. Check that your practice session meets the time requirements.
• The MAC-ES team is happy to help test your script. Reach out through our intake form.

Be Clear With Your Intentions

• Be sure that participants know what you expect of them. Be clear about:
  • Why you need their time
  • The purpose of the research
  • How you'll use the research
  • How long the research session will take
  • Any follow-ups you may need with them

Understand Who To Talk To

• Seek out your product owner’s (PO’s) guidance to ensure that you’re talking to the right people. Review the MACBIS User Categories and consult with subject matter experts (SMEs) to better target your study.
• The MAC-ES team SME is happy to provide help. Reach out through our intake form.

Make Sure Participants Have Consented To Take Part in Research

• Use an informed consent script or one-pager ahead of time. This ensures that people are participating willingly, rather than being “voluntold” by management.

Follow Up

• Always follow up with a thank you note to participants after you've completed your research. You should also share the results from your study when you have them ready. This helps to strengthen feedback loops.

Considerations Specific to Research With States

For research with states, consulting with your PO is necessary. When you’re ready to do research with states, let your PO know and ask permission. Get questions that you want to ask vetted by them. Explain the purpose, who you’re going to ask, and how many people you’re going to ask. Share all this with your PO to get their sign-off or raise it to leadership if necessary. When in doubt, always ask your PO!