using the core model to reach your objectives - confab central 2014

Content Against CancerUsing the Core Model to Reach Your Objectives

Ida Aalen / @idaAaConfab CentralMay 9th, 2014

Ida AalenSenior interaction designer,Netlife Research

@idaAa

ConfabCentral

Oslo, Norway

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Good content is...• Appropriate: publish content that is right for the user and for

the business• Useful: define a clear, specific purpose for each piece of

content; evaluate content against this purpose• User-centered: adopt the cognitive frameworks of your users• Clear: Seek clarity in all things• Consistent: mandate consistency, within reason• Concise: omit needless content• Supported: Publish no content without a support plan

Erin Kissane, “The Elements of Content Strategy”

Concept phase

The Core Model

This is a hands on case study.

• Tools & tricks• Sketches & examples• Results! Numbers!

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

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

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

The NCS redesign project

1. Objectives & target audiences

2. User research3. Concept & tone of voice4. Core workshops5. Design, content &

development6. Governance & iterations

Objectives & user needs

GoalsBusiness 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

GoalsBusiness 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 objectives1. Helping patients and their

friends and family2. Increasing knowledge

about cancer and prevention

3. Increasing online self-service

4. Improving our reputation and position

The only answer I’ve got is do your research,and show it.

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

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.

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%

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

Treatment of cancer

Symptoms of cancer

Preventing cancer

Cancer types

Latest research

Choosing a hospital

Donate

Volunteer

Memory gift

Will gift

0 % 1 % 2 % 3 % 4 % 5 % 6 %

Top 25%

The challengeUser 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

So you’vegot the what and the why. But you don’t know how.

Should content strategists really be the ones deciding how something is best communicated?

Going through user research and

objectives

@WilhelmJAFront end developer

@ThordFossGraphic designer

@EirikHafverContent strategist

Sketching ideas for the

website

Feedback from the group

Which ideas are

connected?

What should we

take with us as we move

forward?

The NCS had to choose between three concepts.

#1You are not

aloneIn 2009, about 27 500 Norwegians were diagnosed with cancer. 2 out 3 will survive.

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Encyclopedia

Men Women

More and more people survive leukemia

#3A human

I am one of the many who survived leukemia in 2009.This is how I felt

Take “The Encyclopedia”and add a dash of “A human face” and you get

TheInformation Office

Hypothesis:The users ask Google and not all of the answers they get are trustworthy. What does the diagnosis entail? What are my chances? What did the doctor really say? How do I avoid getting the same disease as my mother?

The answers exist. Behind all the statistics, doctor’s coats and bureaucracy there are human beings wanting to help.

Answer:Knowledge kills fear. The Cancer Society’s website is a natural authority on the field. You get verified answers that are easy to understand. You can see who says what. It’s not a faceless institution, but competent professionals with names and faces.

Why do you need a concept phase?

• Ensure consistency and alignment• Identify design and content needs early on• Early reality check

We know now why, what and how. It’s about time we get more specific.

Home page

Many users will never see

any other page

Googled «lung cancer»

any other page

Googled «lung cancer»

Saw a link on Facebook about cancer research

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Businessgoals

Usertasks

“Lung cancer”

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Core pages

“Lung cancer”

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Core pages

“Lung cancer”“Donate”

Businessgoals

Usertasks

Core pages

“Lung cancer”“Donate”

The Core Model• Core pages is where your users solve

their task and you reach yourobjectives

• Paths, not hierarchy• No blind alleys

Are Halland@areHalland

Usingthe core model with your team and your clients

Lawyer

PreventionWeb editor

Design

SocionomResearch

Cancer nurse

Fundraiser

Cancer care

“We need your help to make sure we build the website you and your users need”

What you need• Handouts with the core model (A3)• Handouts with objectives and user needs• Markers and post-its• Room with a projector• 3-4 hours per workshop• 1-3 participants from your team• 6-14 participants from the client• Snacks and lots of coffee!

ParticipantsPeople...

• from your team: design, UX, content, etc• who’ll work with the content• with strong opinions about the website• who should be collaborating, but aren’t• from relevant fields or departments

No web, design or content skills necessary!

Core workshop• Match business goals and user needs • Inward paths• Core content• Outward paths• Prioritizing core elements

The paired participantspresent their ideas to thegroup between each step

Identify your your core pagesThis is done by matching business goals and user needs.

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%

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%

1) Helping patients and their friends & family

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%

2) Increasing knowledge about cancer and prevention

Cancer form• lung cancer

Rights & advice• sick leave during treatment• right to second opinion

Research project• genetic testing for accurate

prognosis of prostate cancer

Prevention effort• sun and solarium• diet

Some of the core pages we worked with

Inward paths Forward pathsCore content

Core page:

Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks

Core page:

Inward pathsHow will the user get here? How will they find this content?

Core page:

How will the user find

its way to this core page?

Core page:

Core contentWhat content elements do we need to make sure the user solves their task (while respecting our objectives)

Core page:

What’s the optimal solution, for the user and

for us?

Core page:

What’s the optimal solution, for the user and

for us?

Core page:

Outward pathsAfter the user has solved their task, where do we want to send them next?

Core page:

Where should we send the user, after they’ve solved their primary

Core page:

The challenge

The challengeUsers were looking for content that supported goal 1 & 2:

But none of the user tasks supporting goal 3 & 4 came up on top:

• Increased self service• Increasing donations and members

Research project

Core page

Make a donation

Research project

Core page Outward path

Make a donation

Increasing donations

and members

Research project

Core page Outward path Business objective

Prioritizing within the coreHow would you place these elements if you only had a mobile screen available?

Inward paths Core contents & forward paths

Core page:

Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasksIf you had a small screen, how would you

prioritize these elements?

The core is the same on all devices

Where does the core model fit in your process?

The core model can be put to good use by any web discipline.

There is no discipline who doesn’t care about what needs to be on the page and why.

Core page:

Core workshops = collaboration

• Between client and consultant• Across departments• Across disciplines

The best alignment tool I’ve found.

Core pages = starting points

• Content templates• Design• Information architecture

The homepage is often thelast thing we design.

Let’s see what happens with all those core sheets.

A human face?

Early paper sketch

Byline

A human face?

That’s more like

Early paper sketch Early photoshop sketch

Byline

Early paper sketch Early photoshop sketch HTML & CSS prototype

No “Lorem Ipsum”. We only

used actual content when

designing.

The core Related Menu

Example

Breast cancer

Example

Donations

Remember that we’re

only 5 million

But... Does it work?

Unique visitors

2010 2011 20142013

Launch

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

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Cancer line conversations +40%

Launch

TITTEL

Player 1: WilhelmLines: 4Points: 2367

Keeping priorities from small screens pays off

Monthly donors

One time donations+198%

Monthly donors sum+382%

Members+107%

Annual value of monthly donors online

2011 2012 2013 2014 (so far)

Launch

Christmas campaign

Christmas campaign15%

Christmas campaign15% 17%

Membership campaign

Governance

Web editor

Thanks to a lot of lobbying by @EirikHafver

Web editor

Cancer Research Prevention RightsFundraising

Web editor

Cancer Research Prevention RightsFundraising

The editors • Signed mandate from management

• In charge of all content and development

• Editors know their field and how to write and user tasks and goals

• Working collaboratively and interdisciplinarily

• Departments are sources, not content owners

Web masterWeb editor

Cancer research

RightsPrevention

Weekly 2 hour

meetings

Web masterWeb editor

Cancer research

Analytics on the

agenda every week

Web master Web editor

Cancer research

Discussions & decisions, not writing

All content is revised at

least every 3 months

• 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

Contentaudits

Web editorCancer care

Rights

@audunru

Fundraising

Cancer research

Web master

Cancer care

Editorial

– Before, people had responsibility for their area and worked solely with that.We’re working differently... Marte Gråberg / @MarteGrabergWebeditor of kreftforeningen.no

...with our content now than how we used to. We’re doing more work together.

Marte Gråberg / @MarteGrabergWebeditor of kreftforeningen.no

Thank you!kreftforeningen.no

@idaAa or ida@netliferesearch.com

@ThordFoss Graphic Designer@EirikHafver Content Strategist@WilhelmJA Frontend Developer@MarteGraberg Web Editor@SolheimSlind Web Master@BeateSorum Fundraiser

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