Applying top tasks to design a better experience Chris Rourke June - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Applying top tasks to design a better experience Chris Rourke June 2019, UX Scotland @uservision @crourke

Lets talk about… What are top tasks? Why is the method needed? How is it performed? How are results applied? Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Some sites are managed as a dumping ground Dangerous to produce content without understanding the tasks behind it Much easier to add content than remove it Every time you add content, you increase complexity s u o u f l e r p u s y r e E v “ e n o s i e a t e r c e w g e a p n a r o f d e n d a e d e o r m , d e a t r s t u r f y , g r n a ” e r s u d e s u f o n c K U v . o G Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

What are top tasks ? Every site has a small set of tasks that deliver a huge value. These are the Top Tasks and they exist in the Long Neck. Every site also has many Tiny Tasks. These can deliver value but also can destroy value by getting in the way of Top Tasks. Manage the Top Tasks, not the content, the Departments or the technology. Help your customers complete the Top Tasks as quickly and easily as possible. Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

28 (4%) account for 90% of transactions The bottom 584 (76%) are for 1% of transactions Matt Harrington GDS Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

GOV.UK: Starting a Business Companies International Education House Trade Health & Safety Food Standards Work & Revenue Business Pensions Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

No one intends to create a site that’s hard to navigate. Often sites that were initially OK evolve …. Perfect Site USEFUL Demands to BLE Targete promote key Pressure to d info topics add more COMPELLING topics Reluctance to remove old topics Pressure to add more detail Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Useless Links FAQ Slow Links Tools Infinity & Quick Content Beyond Links Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

How does Top Task Management work? There are two phases: 1. Top task identification – Discover what’s most important to your site visitors 2. Continuously test and improve - Research and design to see how well customers can do the most important tasks. Metrics: Better & Faster Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Top Tasks - A management model for Continuous Improvement Identify Measure Top Top Improve Tasks Tasks Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Phase 1. Identify Top Tasks Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Phase 1. Top Task Identification List current and 1. List all of the possible tasks potential tasks 2. Workshops to refine into a short list of tasks Refine Research 3. Use short list in a survey with users, vote for the top five tasks Analyse 4. Analyse to identify what are most important tasks and how best to design for this Results Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Top Tasks process Survey of the task list n=400 Workshops to sanitise the long Current website list into a short list Customers and stakeholders Analyse results Competitors and other sources Monitor, improve Revise & test IA Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Potential sources of ‘Long list’ tasks „ Top 50 annual searches (internal, external) „ Top 50 Website most visited pages Organisation „ Surveys and research on customers in last 2-3 years 20% „ Top 50 annual support, help, feedback „ Competitors / peers „ Social media, blogs, communities Customer 80% „ Task collection survey „ Corporate philosophy, strategy, mission, vision „ Stakeholder interviews and reviews Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Shortlisting sessions Include the key stakeholders Phrasings of tasks is vital 3-8 stakeholders required Several things to be avoided 4-8 shortlisting sessions About 2-hours each Not more than 3 per week Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Shortlisting sessions Repetition Jargon Formats Verbs Overlaps Parent/child Channels Brands Demographic Audience specific Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Create survey question 40-100 tasks Random order Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Lets try it out Select the 5 things (from the list below) that are MOST IMPORTANT to you when choosing a holiday / vacation destination. http://etc.ch/DDyP And more… 70 tasks Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

So you’ve collected lots of data – now what? Results Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Typical pattern of results Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

The Results - OECD 49 1 2 3 1. Country surveys / reviews / reports 2. Compare country statistical data TINY TOP 4 3. Statistics on one particular topic 4. Browse a publication online for free SMALL MEDIUM That’s just top level – use category 11 questions to slice and dice the data 6 The Top task has as many votes as the bottom 28 tasks Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Use Category questions to view differences Self employed / Business Starting a Tasks owner Employed business Total 7.3% 6.0% 4.4% 6.3% 1 Cashflow, invoicing, payment management 6.2% 3.8% 6.0% 5.6% 2 Marketing 5.6% 5.9% 3.2% 5.0% 3 Productivity / profitability 3.2% 3.7% 4.4% 3.6% 4 Funding / finance sources 3.6% 5.9% 0.9% 3.4% 5 Managing people 3.4% 3.9% 2.3% 3.3% 6 Accounting, financial management 2.8% 2.4% 5.5% 3.2% 7 Grants, benefits, entitlements from government 3.7% 2.6% 3.1% 3.1% 8 Selling (legal, e-commerce, pricing) 1.9% 2.4% 4.8% 2.7% 9 Create business plan, budget 3.1% 1.3% 3.6% 2.7% 10 Website design, management, optimisation 2.5% 4.0% 1.5% 2.5% 11 Health and safety at work 3.0% 2.2% 0.9% 2.3% 12 New ideas (products, services, green) 13 Public sector contracts, tenders 2.5% 2.6% 1.1% 2.2% 2.4% 2.1% 1.6% 2.2% 14 Training and development 2.3% 1.2% 1.8% 2.1% 15 Tax returns (complete, amend) 1.6% 1.6% 1.7% 1.6% 16 Suppliers, outsourcing, partnering 2.2% 1.4% 0.3% 1.6% 17 Debt recovery, late payments 1.6% 1.9% 1.3% 1.6% 18 Standards (quality, safety, environment) 1.1% 2.6% 1.2% 1.6% 19 Paying, payroll, taxing staff 0.4% 0.7% 5.2% 1.4% 20 Form a company, business Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Category / demographic questions 17 or younger Tasks 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 Total 3.4% 4.7% 4.8% 5.5% 6.1% 4.7% 5.9% 4.9% 1 Waiting times (hospitals, clinics, other health services) 6.8% 6.4% 4.7% 4.2% 4.0% 3.5% 2.3% 4.5% 2 Mental wellbeing (stress reduction, mindfulness, positive thinking) 3.4% 5.6% 4.6% 4.3% 4.0% 3.1% 3.2% 4.0% 3 Costs and fees (treatment, drugs, consultant visits, care) 1.4% 3.2% 3.8% 3.4% 3.7% 3.7% 2.5% 3.6% 4 Screening (breastcheck, retinal, bowel, cervical) 2.7% 2.7% 2.8% 3.1% 2.8% 3.6% 3.0% 2.9% 5 Diagnosis of condition / disease 5.5% 4.0% 3.3% 3.2% 2.7% 1.8% 1.1% 2.9% 6 Check symptoms / signs 4.1% 3.4% 3.3% 2.8% 2.2% 2.1% 3.0% 2.8% 7 Emergencies, what to do 0.7% 2.6% 2.3% 2.7% 2.9% 2.5% 2.5% 2.6% 8 Health services near you 4.8% 2.0% 2.9% 2.8% 2.2% 2.4% 1.3% 2.5% 9 Right place to go for help (GP, hospital, pharmacist) Entitlements, allowances (medical card, GP card, European Health 0.7% 2.2% 3.1% 2.5% 3.0% 2.8% 3.8% 2.5% Insurance Card) 10 1.4% 1.5% 1.7% 2.5% 2.6% 2.5% 5.1% 2.4% 12 How to use health services (getting the care you need) 5.5% 2.2% 2.8% 2.2% 1.8% 2.0% 2.1% 2.4% 11 Diet, food, nutrition (healthy eating, intolerances, weight) 1.4% 1.8% 2.9% 2.6% 2.5% 3.0% 0.9% 2.4% 13 Access my medical / health records (test results, prescriptions) 2.7% 2.0% 1.9% 2.1% 2.5% 3.1% 1.3% 2.2% 14 Living / coping with my condition / disease (support, counselling) 0.0% 1.9% 1.9% 2.3% 2.3% 2.5% 1.9% 2.1% 15 Detailed information about condition / disease Self-management of a condition / disease (tools, self-monitoring, 0.7% 1.5% 1.5% 1.7% 1.7% 2.2% 1.1% 1.8% medicines) 17 1.4% 1.7% 2.1% 1.6% 1.9% 2.3% 2.3% 1.8% 16 Drug effectiveness, side effects, interactions, dosage 0.0% 2.1% 1.9% 2.0% 1.9% 1.0% 0.6% 1.7% 18 Appointments (book, reminders, cancel, reschedule) 1.4% 2.1% 2.2% 1.8% 0.8% 1.0% 0.9% 1.7% 19 Vaccinations, immunisations 1.4% 1.5% 1.5% 1.7% 1.9% 1.8% 2.5% 1.7% 20 Prognosis / likely course of condition / disease Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Getting the internal team view Create a copy of the customer Top Tasks survey. Adapt Top Tasks question: “What do you think the top tasks of your customers are” Get a minimum of 15 stakeholders voting Do an “Empathy” analysis between the two sets of data Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Empathy % Customer Vote % Team Vote (2381) (223) Tasks Empathy Statistics on one particular topic 5.9% 9.6% 163% Surveys / reviews / reports 6.8% 5.4% 79% Compare country statistical data 6.2% 5.2% 84% Publication by topic 4.6% 5.1% 109% Statistical forecasts / projections 3.8% 4.7% 124% Overview of what <org> does 1.2% 4.7% 407% Browse a publication online for free 5.1% 4.6% 91% International guidelines and standards (corporate governance, tax havens, etc.) 3.2% 4.5% 141% Basic facts, summaries and overviews 4.3% 4.0% 92% Statistics on one particular country 4.0% 3.9% 98% Top Tasks @crourke @uservision

Phase 2. Testing & redesign Top Tasks @crourke @uservision