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BEST PRACTICES FOR TOP TASK WEB DESIGN: HIGHER ED EXAMPLES ©ROBERT E. JOHNSON, PH.D. 2016 Bob Johnson, Ph.D. Academic Impressions: Planning for a Higher Ed Website Redesign Cincinnati, OH: February 28 – March 2 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 1

Best Practices for Top Task Website Design: 22 Higher Education Examples

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Page 1: Best Practices for Top Task Website Design: 22 Higher Education Examples

Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 1

BEST PRACTICES FOR TOP TASK WEB DESIGN:

HIGHER ED EXAMPLES©ROBERT E. JOHNSON, PH.D. 2016

Bob Johnson, Ph.D.Academic Impressions: Planning for a Higher Ed

Website Redesign Cincinnati, OH: February 28 – March 2

Page 2: Best Practices for Top Task Website Design: 22 Higher Education Examples

Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 2

KEEP. IT. SIMPLE.

What do most people want from your website? Fast task completion.

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THE GOLDEN RULE…

<5 seconds to connect as a page opens.

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THE TOP TASK WEBSITE DESIGN GOAL…

Quick identification of the path to top tasks.

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Attention to Jakob Nielsen…http://www.nngroup.com/articles/university-sites/

Top 10 Design Guidelines… My favorites…

• #5• “Make it easy to view a list of

majors and programs.”• #8

• “Follow the user journey: check the main tasks for each of your audiences.”

• #9• “Beware the perils of making

your website ‘cool.’“

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TOP TASK RESEARCH RESULTS3 to 5 tasks dominate from lists of 60 to 100 possibilities.

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Please choose and score the TOP FIVE tasks from the list below that best describe what is important to you when

choosing to go to university.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56

Vote

Tasks

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Top future student tasks…• “Traditional” undergrad students…

• Academic programs• Costs & financial aid • Investment return after graduating.

• “Adult” students add…• Time to complete a program • Flexible scheduling

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Topics among the bottom 20 tasks…• Social media connections• Info about alumni, presidents, and deans• School news• Profiles and connections to current students

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Top task ID process…http://www.digitalgov.gov/2015/02/06/top-task-usability-design-for-your-users/

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Guide to the research…http://www.customercarewords.com/top-tasks-identification-overview/

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HOME PAGE EXAMPLES…

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Top website design winner in 2013…London’s Design Museum award… http://bit.ly/HfxFAq

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Top tasks link collections…http://umanitoba.ca/

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Finding top tasks via “search”…http://www.xavier.edu/

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Carousel co-existence…https://www.vu.edu.au/

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“Estimate cost and aid”…http://www.lynn.edu/

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University of Ottawa in 2014…https://www.uottawa.ca/en

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University of Ottawa in 2016…

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STUDENT RECRUITMENT…

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Tasks in the admissions cycle…http://www.esu.edu/admissions

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Rapid cost estimator…http://www.wellesley.edu/admission/affordable/myintuition

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Fast scholarship qualification…http://scholarships.eku.edu/estimator

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Online transfer credit information…https://www.franklin.edu/transfer-credit-college-course-equivalency-tool

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Alumni career info by academic major…http://www.colgate.edu/distinctly-colgate/success-after-colgate

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Brief inquiry capture form…http://online.gannon.edu/request-more-information

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Professional schools keep it simple…http://bit.ly/1aDruV9

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ADVANCEMENT & ALUMNI…

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Easy to scan key campaign numbers…http://www.giveto.pitt.edu/campaign/data

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27 alumni tasks get center position…http://alumni.psu.edu/

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Alumni home page networking task…http://apps.carleton.edu/alumni/

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Top tasks for alumni accounts…http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/lefa/

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“Browse by topic” for IU news in 2013…http://newsinfo.iu.edu/

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The newsroom site, 2016 version…

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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS & SERVICES…

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Top tasks for study abroad…http://studyabroad.arcadia.edu/

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6 important library tasks…http://www.stritch.edu/library/

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Top tasks for international students…http://www.uio.no/english/student-life/

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Quick facts with unusual clarity…https://www.transy.edu/about/facts.htm

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Important faculty details…http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/enam/faculty

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WRAPPING UP…

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Top task steps to remember…• For any audience, 3 to 5 tasks stand out as most

important.• People should see top tasks immediately (5 seconds or

less) as a web page opens.• Priority to task words especially important in a mobile

view.• For recruitment, ask admissions people what questions

future students most often ask.• Beware of “cool” features that do not contribute to task

completion.• Reduce content bloat as much as possible.

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THANKS FOR BEING HERE IN CINCINNATI!Bob Johnson, [email protected]@highedmarketing