So it stands to reason that web managers should focus on that 5% and make sure it is perfect.
Another real world example to illustrate this, one Local Authority analysed all 4500 policies, plans, strategies and SLAs documents that it had published on its website: there were zero in top 20 tasks, and zero in the top 300 downloads
Long neck / long tail graphic
This bloat can be described as the long tail, with top tasks making a long neck.The long neck vs the long tail: understanding your content usage
If you create a chart of your top tasks you will see the long neck / long tail graphically illustrated. The larger your website and service offering the more exaggerated your graph will become.
What customers want?
If you take your top tasks and were to solely present
them in the proportion to their usage you might get this:
Existing organisation view of website | Customer requirement view of website |
 |  |
Clearly this will be too extreme, and will not give organisations the opportunity to sell additional products and services. So a different strategy needs to be adopted to mange the top tasks and create meaningful Information Architecture, help people find the information they want.
Manage the tasks
Once you have an understanding of your user's top tasks you can manage your web content accordingly. Measure what people are trying to do with the content/website and use this information to develop a task orientated strategy. This way you can manage the output not the input.
Top tasks will vary for different industry segments and depending on who the target audience is, but could include
- Find a course at a university
- Donate to a charity
- Buy something from a retailer
- Pay a bill at a utility or government agency
- Book an appointment or just ask a question
Finding information and using services is not so much about the actual words and pictures, but is reliant on the link text. Good single user journeys are facilitated by clear links and navigation that say what you are going to get by clicking on them and then delivering that information when the page loads.
For example on Craven District Council'shome page, they have a navigation menu called "Top Tasks" and when you click on one, you get taken to information that is directly related to the link text.
Craven District Council top tasks on the homepage
Craven District Council swimming lesson landing page
Conducting a website review whitepaper
Understanding top tasks is just one area of conducting a website review. Additional steps are needed to complete the review for successful website implementation, including:
- Web content audit (Excel template included)
- Understanding your top tasks
- Organising your website structure
- Defining user journeys
- The user experience and design
- Launch and promotion
- User testing
This whitepaper covers the above content.
Download now
