1. The Core Model:
Designing for Top tasks
from the inside and out
Are Gjertin Urkegjerde Halland
June 17th

2. About me
• Senior information architect
with 18 years experience
• Developed the Core Model
in 2006

3. Netlife Research
• Norways premiere user experience agency
• User research, strategy, content, design
• Customer Carewords partner
• Uses the Core Model actively in projects

4. Agenda
• Core model thinking and design for top tasks 1400-1420
• Prioritizing Cores by business goals and user tasks 1420-1445
• Inward paths and content navigation 1445-1500
• Forward paths and business goals 1500-1515
• Content based gradual redesigns 1515-1530
• Governance and continuos maintenance 1530-1545
• Summary and questions 1545-1600

5. Core model thinking
A different approach to website design

6. The traditional
approach to making
websites.
Frontpage

7. Over time more and
more content is
added.

8. But the user have
only one task to
fulfill.

9. 99% of your website
is irrelevant for this
user.

10. The other pages
are hindering the
user in finding the
page that he wants.

11. We need to focus
our attention on
where the user
wants to be.

12. The Core
The optimal
information unit ...
... and at least one
business goal ...
... that fullfils a
defined user task ...
... at the same time.

13. Business
goals
User
tasks
Core pages

14. The Core
Core:
Product page

15. Product page
Loan calculator
Contact page
Or something completely else
Core page:
Loan calculator
Sparebanken Sogn og Fjordane
«Apply for a loan»
«See repayment plan»

16. Or something completely else
Core:
External page
Wikipedia page about «brominated flame retardants»

17. Core:
Process with steps
The Norwegian Tax Administration (Google translation)

18. City of Oslo, beta site
Core:
Self service

19. Core process
Core process:
As simple as
possible

20. Product page
Loan calculator
Contact page
Or something completely else
Core:
Cancer type

21. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals User task

22. Prioritizing the Cores
Use business goals and user tasks to find out where to
start

23. The typical process
User task
analysis
Business goals
analysis
Core Model Process
Concept, content,
design and
development

24. Case

25. What NCS does:
• Funds cancer research
• Cancer care
• Cancer prevention
• Advocacy
• Information
• Fights cancer on a global scale

26. Online however...
• 5000 pages of overlapping content with very few links
• Content was accurate, but didn’t address key user needs
• Difficult to navigate and not prioritized

27. How did it happen?
• 40-45 people had access
• Departments were in charge of their own sections
• Limited centralized supervision
• 6 year old website with a rigid information architecture

28. Goals
Business goals
• Reducing the number of
people who develop cancer
• Increasing cancer survival
rates
• Ensuring quality of life for
cancer patients and their
family and close friends
Online objectives
1. Helping patients and their
friends and family
2. Increasing knowledge
about cancer and
prevention
3. Increasing online self-
service
4. Improving our reputation
and position

30. User
research at
the NCS
• Focus groups with patients
and next of kin
• Surveys of The Cancer
Society’s reputation
• Web Analytics
• Interviews with 10
stakeholders and 10
potential users
• Top task survey

31. Top task survey
“If you’re visiting The Cancer Society’s website, which
five tasks are the most important to you?”
1385 participants chose between 79 different tasks.

32. Treatment of cancer
Symptoms of cancer
Preventing cancer
Cancer types
Latest research
Choosing a hospital
Patient rights
Next of kin advice
Waiting times
Dietary prevention
0 % 1 % 2 % 3 % 4 % 5 % 6 %
Top 25%
6 out of
79 tasks got
25% of the
votes

33. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goal(s) User task(s)
Helping patients and their friends and family Treatment
Lung cancer
Increasing knowledge about cancer Symptoms
Prevention
Research

34. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goal(s) User task(s)
Find and apply for a grant
Research grant
Attract the best applications/projects

35. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goal(s) User task(s)
Reduce cost by self service Find and apply for kinder garten
Kinder garten

36. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goal(s) User task(s)
<The EU commision goals that
can be achieved through this page>
<Top user task(s) or questions that this page
answers>
<Your page>
Let’s try it out
Fill out the part of the core sheet in front of you and apply it to the page you brought.
Use 3 minutes on your own.
If you didn’t bring a page or wireframe - think of a page or task you work with.
If you don’t know your goals and user tasks - try to guess.
If you can not tie a business goal and a user top task to the page - try another page.

37. Inward paths
A different perspective on navigation

38. Is this really your
frontpage?

39. This is your users
frontpage

40. This is your
frontpage.
Googled «lung cancer»Googled «mcgovern long neck»Googled «eu research funding»Googled «top task trigger word»

41. Inward
paths to
the Cancer
Society
2 %
12 %
11 %
76 %
Search
Referrals
Direct traffic
Campaigns

42. Google
search
Links from
other sites
Social
media
Frontpage
and menus
The Core
Inward paths
to the Core

43. Toppmeny
Venstre-
meny
Se også
Flere lenker
Flere
tjenester
Navigasjonssti
Are we creating
navigation
overload?

44. Research shows
that users focus on
content, not
navigation

45. Telenor got rid of
top and le menus,
and made content
based navigation

46. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Goal (achieve at least one) User task
What keywords do users search for
on Google to get here?
What other sites and pages should
link to this one?
What other sources, digital or analog
should lead to this page?
How can social media help driving
traffic to this page?
Primary, prioritized scenario,
following the primary Call to action
Secondary scenario, less important
Calls to action
Other digital and analog contact
points (phone, email, etc)
Leave the site
Let’s try it
Fill out the part of the core sheet in front of you and
apply it to the page you brought.
Use 3 minutes on your own.
What do people search for?
How can social media help driving traffic to this page?
What other sites and pages should link to this one?
What other sources, digital or analog should lead to this
page?

47. Forward paths
How to reach your strategic goals when your users are
not so interested

48. Business
goals
User
tasks
Core pages

49. User task:
Calculate interest
rates to compare
mortgage offerings
«Apply for a loan»
«See repayment plan»
Strategic goal:
Increase number
of mortgage
customers

50. ex. contact
Forward paths
needs to be placed
in the right context

51. Prioritized links to
relevant pages in
context is a better
alternative to news
on the frontpage.

52. Forward path - the
NCS’s opinion

53. Forward path - links to
research and treatment

55. Treatment of cancer
Symptoms of cancer
Preventing cancer
Cancer types
Latest research
Choosing a hospital
Patient rights
Next of kin
Waiting times
Dietary prevention
0 % 1 % 2 % 3 % 4 % 5 % 6 %
Top 25%
Cancer
treatment,
symptoms, and
prevention was
most
important
0.4% vote for
“Donate” and
“Volunteer”

56. The challenge
User looked for content that supported goals 1 & 2:
• Helping patients, their friends and family
• Increasing knowledge about cancer and prevention
But none of the user tasks supporting goals 3 & 4 came
up on top:
• Increased self-service
• Increasing donations and members

57. Make a donation
Increasing
donations and
members
Research
project
Core page Forward path Business objective

58. Donate now!Recurring giSponsor a child
Become a
member
Volunteer
Follow us on Facebook Subscribe to newsletter
Order brochure Download app
Join our #Instagram competition
The Paradox of
Choice

59. Donate now!
Recurring giSponsor Member Volunteer
Follow on facebook Subscribe
Order Download app
Join our #instagram competition
The Paradox of
Choice

60. Buy
Donate
Contact
Share
Forward paths
from the Core
The Core

61. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Goal (achieve at least one) User task
What keywords do users search for
on Google to get here?
What other sites and pages should
link to this one?
What other sources, digital or analog
should lead to this page?
How can social media help driving
traffic to this page?
Primary, prioritized scenario,
following the primary Call to action
Secondary scenario, less important
Calls to action
Other digital and analog contact
points (phone, email, etc)
Leave the site
Let’s try it
Fill out the part of the core sheet in front of you and apply it to the
page you brought.
Use 3 minutes on your own.
Primary, prioritized scenario, following the primary Call to action
Secondary scenario, less important Calls to action
Other digital and analog contact points (phone, email, etc)
points (phone, email, etc) points (phone, email, etc)

62. Core based redesign
Continuos development and improvement of core
pages in stead of big bang redesigns

65. Core clusters

66. Old and new in parallell

67. Continous maintenance
Governance should focus on improving core pages

68. Web editor
Cancer Research Prevention RightsFundraising

69. The editors • Signed mandate from
management
• In charge of all content
and development
• Overview of user tasks and
goals
• Editors know their field
and how to write and
• Working collaboratively
and interdisciplinarily

70. Web master
Web editor
Cancer research
Rights
Prevention
Weekly 2
hour
meetings

71. Web master
Web editor
Cancer research
Analytics
on the
agenda
every week

72. Web master Web editor
Cancer research
Discussions
& decisions,
not writing
All
content is
revised at
least every 3
months

73. • Who’s the target
audience?
• Which target audience
need or task does this
content cover?
• Which NCS objective does
the content cover?
• How will this content be
found and used by the
user?
• Why is the website the right
channel for this content?
5 questions
the NCS
asks about
content

74. Pre-qualification of
new content

75. Core model workshop

76. Typical process
User task
analysis
Business goals
analysis
Core model
workshop
Concept and
design

77. Full day
workshop with
all involved

78. Inward paths Forward pathsCore contents
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
Basic template
(A3 prints)

79. Inward paths Forward pathsCore contents
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
What’s the
optimal solution,
for the user and
for us?

80. Core model workshop
• Introduction to core model thinking
• Prioritize core pages based on user tasks and business goals
with notes on the wall
• Brainstorm approaches to solving core problems with 6-up or
other brainstorming techniques
• Detail solution in content driven design with 1-up/google docs
• Prioritize content with mobile first template
• Discuss inward and forward paths

81. Core model workshop
• Introduction to core model thinking
• Prioritize core pages based on user tasks and business
goals with notes on the wall
• Brainstorm approaches to solving core problems with 6-up or
other brainstorming techniques
• Detail solution in content driven design with 1-up/google docs
• Prioritize content with mobile first template
• Discuss inward and forward paths

82. Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3
Task 2 Task 1
Task 5
Task 4
Task 9
Task 7

83. Core model workshop
• Introduction to core model thinking
• Prioritize core pages based on user tasks and business goals
with notes on the wall
• Brainstorm approaches to solving core problems with
6-up or other brainstorming techniques
• Detail solution in content driven design with 1-up/google docs
• Prioritize content with mobile first template
• Discuss inward and forward paths

84. 6-up idea
generation

85. Core model workshop
• Introduction to core model thinking
• Prioritize core pages based on user tasks and business goals with
notes on the wall
• Brainstorm approaches to solving core problems with 6-up or
other brainstorming techniques
• Detail solution in content driven design with 1-up/
google docs
• Prioritize content with mobile first template
• Discuss inward and forward paths

86. 1-up idea
detailing

87. Core model workshop
• Introduction to core model thinking
• Prioritize core pages based on user tasks and business goals
with notes on the wall
• Brainstorm approaches to solving core problems with 6-up or
other brainstorming techniques
• Detail solution in content driven design with 1-up/google docs
• Prioritize content with mobile first template
• Discuss inward and forward paths

88. Inward paths Forward pathsCore contents
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
For prioritizing
elements (mobile
first approach)

89. TITTEL
1
2
3

90. Keeping
priorities
from small
screens
pays off

91. Unique visitors
2010 2011 20142013
Launch
2012

93. – More people contact the
cancer line now than before,
but now they’re more
informed when they contact
us
Anine Wiig Dagestad

94. 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Cancer line
conversations +40%
Launch

95. Monthly
donors
+288%
One time
donations
+198%
Monthly
donors sum
+382%

96. Members
+107%

97. Annual value of monthly
donors online
2011 2012 2013 2014 (march)
Launch

98. Summary

99. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Goal (achieve at least one) User task
What keywords do users search for
on Google to get here?
What other sites and pages should
link to this one?
What other sources, digital or analog
should lead to this page?
How can social media help driving
traffic to this page?
Primary, prioritized scenario,
following the primary Call to action
Secondary scenario, less important
Calls to action
Other digital and analog contact
points (phone, email, etc)
Leave the site

100. How to use it
• Thinking tool
• Prioritization tool
• Communication tool
Design for top tasks from the inside and out!

101. Thank you and
good luck!
are@netliferesearch.com

102. Print material

103. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Goal (achieve at least one) User task
What keywords do users search for
on Google to get here?
What other sites and pages should
link to this one?
What other sources, digital or analog
should lead to this page?
How can social media help driving
traffic to this page?
Primary, prioritized scenario,
following the primary Call to action
Secondary scenario, less important
Calls to action
Other digital and analog contact
points (phone, email, etc)
Leave the site

104. Inward paths Core content
What keywords do users search for
on Google to get here?
What other sites and pages should
link to this one?
What other sources, digital or analog
should lead to this page?
How can social media help driving
traffic to this page?
Core page:
Goal (achieve at least one) User task

105. 6-up

106. 1-up