How to get those top tasks right! An introduction June 20 Martin Greenwood Programme manager Socitm Insight

Back in 2011… We believe that people come to council websites to find a piece of information or complete a transaction. In other words, they come to complete a task. The website should be designed around this need. It should be easy and quick to do. From the organisation’s viewpoint, it needs to know what the most frequently used tasks are and design the site to respond to these tasks, which we call top tasks.

Now in 2014… The best websites, hands down, are those that focus on de-cluttering content and making customer journeys as simple as possible. Better connected reviewer Passing our standard for top task navigation A top-tasked site, when done properly, stands head and shoulders above the rest. Another Better connected reviewer

Evidence of clutter and confusion News and promotional material?Reference to ‘Quick links’ Reference to ‘Do it online?Use of LGNL (or SNL)?

This site was a pleasure to review. I think it comes one of the closest to fulfilling the.gov.uk strapline 'simpler, clearer, faster' as the structure and signposting were excellent, with a focus on top tasks all of the time. The search and A-Z were also excellent, delivering every time. The lack of clutter made reviewing the site a fulfilling experience.

Continuously improving top tasks June 20, 2014 Gerry McGovern

Copyright © Customer Carewords Ltd.

£10 billion savings: 2012 / 2013 Of this £10bn, GDS has been responsible for over £500m. “What’s helped us achieve that? In large part it’s because at GDS we focus on user needs. Relentlessly. This might sound at odds with a drive towards efficiency, but we have found it to be the best way to reduce cost.” Mike Bracken, Digital Director, GDS We focus on user needs. RELENT LESSLY

Mary Meeker, 2010

Low Complexity High Low Volume High Best Over The Phone Perfect for Self-Service A Mix of Channels Face-to- Face Most Suitable Self-service Identifier

Enabled Customers Vulnerable Customers Low Cost High Cost Maybe Over The Phone Perfect for Self-Service A Mix of Channels Face-to- Face Most Suitable Channel Identifier

Task management on the website Customer satisfaction with UK Council channels (2008 – 2012)

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Copyright © Customer Carewords Ltd. 2

24 November 2012 : Pretend you have forgotten the password for the Cisco account and take whatever actions are required to log in. Success/Failure RatesCompletion Time Password recovery =

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27 May 2013: Pretend you have forgotten the password for the Cisco account and take whatever actions are required to log in. Success/Failure RatesCompletion Time Password Recovery =

28 “Implementing the improvements required coordinated effort from multiple IT teams, usability and experience design people, and even content editors.” Martin Hardee, Director for Cisco.com

29 Step 1: Determine Tasks Determine top tasks.

30 Task Question Checklist 1. Based on top tasks 2. Repeatable 3. Representative & typical—fix it, fix many 4. Universal—everyone can do it 5. One task, one unique answer 6. Does not contain clues – Anti-SEO 7. Emotionally neutral

31 Task Question Checklist 8. Not confidential 9. Independent from other tasks 10. Clearly different from other tasks 11. Immediately doable on website 12. Short – 30 words or less 13. Doable within 3 minutes maximum 14. No change within testing period

Tasks Pie Chart

Top 20 Tasks

35 Task 11 Japan What are the OECD’s latest recommendations regarding Japan’s health-care system? Task 22 Vietnam In 2008, was Vietnam on the list of countries that received official development assistance? Task 33 Heart Did more males per capita die of heart attacks in Canada than in France in 2004? Task 44 Teacher What is the latest average starting salary, in US Dollars, of a primary school teacher across OECD countries? Task 55 Employ What is the title of Box 1.2 on page 73 of OECD Employment Outlook 2009?

36 Step 2: Recruit Participants Recruit 5-15 representative people

37 Remote Measurement Sessions 1.Record session 2.“We are not measuring you” 3.Measure time for each task. 4.Observe problems and successes. 5.No “think aloud”, no discussions

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Upcoming webinars July 8: Dealing with Top Tasks in 'Static' and 'Mobile’ Contexts July 17: Building the business case for online self-service Gerry McGovern

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