This document summarizes a presentation about the Core Model approach to information architecture and website design. The Core Model prioritizes identifying core pages that meet key user tasks and business goals. It involves workshops to map inward paths, core content, and forward paths for core pages. The approach aims to focus design on solving users' most important tasks as directly as possible rather than relying on site hierarchies or home pages. Case studies showed the approach increased key metrics like donations, mobile subscriptions, and bank traffic.

1. The Core Model:
Getting to business
while making friends
Audun Rundberg @audunru
Martha Lyngnes @marthaifarta
IA Summit 2015

2. We’re from
Norway,
the land of
polar bears
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

4. Martha Lyngnes
@marthaifarta
Interaction Designer
Audun Rundberg
@audunru
Content Strategist
#ias15

5. Martha Lyngnes
@marthaifarta
Interaction Designer
Audun Rundberg
@audunru
Content Strategist
#ias15
How come our
annual report isn’t on
the home page?
Why isn’t my
department in the
main menu?
We need a button
on the home page
that takes you to our
Facebook profile.
I need a banner
for our latest
product launch.
Somebody called
me last week and
couldn’t find vacant
positions!
Our competitors
have videos on their
website. We should
too.
You should
make more
room for news.
I don’t like
purple!!
My son could
have made a
better website.

7. Agenda
01.30 Intro
02.15 Get down to business
(and make friends)
03.30 Break
05.30 Finished

8. Make cores
- not wars

9. Home page
The traditional
approach to
information
architecture

10. Home page
The traditional
approach to
information
architecture

11. Home page
The traditional
approach to
information
architecture

12. Home page
The traditional
approach to
information
architecture

13. Home page
The traditional
approach to
information
architecture

14. Many users will never
see the home page

15. Googled «chocolate cake»
Clicked a link on Facebook
Many users will never
see the home page

16. Home page
People come to
your website with a
need

17. Home page
All that matters
is to meet that
need as quickly as
possible
People come to
your website with a
need

18. Home page
All that matters
is to meet that
need as quickly as
possible
99% of the pages
are irrelevant to
that need
People come to
your website with a
need

19. Home page
All that matters
is to meet that
need as quickly as
possible
99% of the pages
are irrelevant to
that need
The other
pages are
making it more
difficult for the
user
People come to
your website with a
need

20. Home page
We have to start
with the page where
the answer can be
found - the core

21. Home page
Paths, not hierarchy

22. Home page
No dead ends

23. Home page
The core is
where your users
solve
their tasks and you
reach your
objectives

24. User
tasks
Business
goals

25. User
tasks
Business
goals
Cores

26. User
tasks
Business
goals
Cores
Forward paths

27. The Core Model
• The core is where your users solve
their tasks and you reach your
objectives
• Paths, not hierarchy
• No dead ends
• Stakeholders can get involved
@AreGH

28. Do your
user
research

29. ...and establish
objectives!

30. Core workshop
People work in pairs,
and present their work
after each step
1. Identify core pages
2. Inward paths
3. Core content
4. Forward paths
5. Prioritizing core elements

31. 6–14 participants
No web, design or content skills necessary!
• facilitator (you!)
• your team: design, UX, content, etc
• people with expert knowledge
• content owners
• people who should be collaborating, but aren’t
• people with strong opinions about the website

32. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks

34. Social worker
Lawyer
Cancer nurse
Design
Research
Cancer care
Prevention
Web editor
Fundraiser

35. Step #1
Identify your core pages
This is done by matching business goals
and user needs

36. Top task survey
«If you’re visiting The Cancer Society’s website,
which five tasks are the most important to you?»

37. 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

38. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks

39. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks

40. Step #2
Inward paths
How will the user get here? How will
they find this content?

41. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
How will the
user find their
way to this core
page?

42. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
How will the
user find their
way to this core
page?

43. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
How will the
user find their
way to this core
page?

44. Step #3
Core content
What content elements do we need to
make sure the user solves their task
(while respecting our objectives)

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

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

47. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks

48. Step #4
Forward paths
After the user has solved their task,
where do we want to send them next?

49. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
Where should we
send the user, after
they’ve solved their
primary task?

50. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
Where should we
send the user, after
they’ve solved their
primary task?

51. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
Where should we
send the user, after
they’ve solved their
primary task?

52. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks

54. Step #5
Prioritizing core elements
How would you place these elements if
you only had a mobile screen
available?

55. Inward paths Core contents & forward paths
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks

58. Updated
template!

59. The core is the same on all
devices

60. Work with the
core model

61. Warning!

63. Rainforest Foundation
Norway supports
indigenous people and
traditional populations of
the world's rainforests in
their efforts to protect their
environment and secure
their customary land rights.

64. With our goal of preserving
the rainforest, we
advocate for the rights of
its indigenous inhabitants.

65. Our operations are funded
by public authorities, as
well as private donors and
sponsors.

66. Step #1
Identify your core pages
This is done by matching business goals
and user needs

67. Business goals (prioritized)
1. Increase financial support
2. Engage more people in the work to protect the rainforest
3. Increase the knowledge about the rainforest and about
our work

68. 12 top user tasks(random order)
• Find out how I as a consumer can
reduce the pressure on the rainforest
• Learn more about the work of the
Rainforest Foundation
• Results of the work of the Rainforest
foundation
• Learn more about the rainforest
(including animals, plants, climate
and indiginous people)
• Find out if a product contains palm
oil
• Supporting the work of the Rainforest
Foundation
• See what threats the rainforest is
facing
• What is the current state of the
rainforest?
• Find out what kind of woods that are
categorized as tropical timber
• Become a sponsor
• Contacting the Rainforest Foundation
• Read the latest news/current subjects

69. Core pages
1. Support the Rainforest Foundation
2. Threats to the rainforest
3. Palm oil
4. Tropical timber

70. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
Write down the
goals and user
tasks for your core
page
Don’t fill out the rest
of the sheet
Work on
this for 15
minutes

71. 10 minute
break!

72. Step #2
Inward paths
How will the user get here? How will
they find this content?

73. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
How will the user
find their way to this
core page?
Keep the user tasks
in mind
What do users
search for on
Google?
Other pages
that link to this
one
Offline sources
of traffic
How can social
media drive
traffic to this
page?
Work on
this for 10
minutes

74. Step #3
Core content
What content elements do we need to
make sure the user solves their task
(while respecting our objectives)

75. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
What’s the
optimal solution,
for the user and for
us?
Keep in mind your
goals and the user
tasks
Work on
this for 15
minutes

76. Increasing sales of
mobile broad band

77. Pageviews
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
1 7 13 19 25 31 37 43 49 55 61 67 73 79 85 91 97 103 109 115 121 127 133 139 145 151 157 163
Everyone agrees
these pages are
important
Pages (ranked)

78. 125 2131 2137 2143 2149 2155 2161 2167 2173 2179 2185 2191 2197 2203 2209 2215 2221 2227 2233 2239 2245 2251 2257 2263 2269 2275 2281 2287 2293 2299
«But my pages are
important too!»
Pages (ranked)

79. What are the different subscriptions?

80. What’s the price?

81. Coverage

82. My
connection
isn’t
working!

83. Reorganizing the
content using the
core model

84. Why
doesn’t it
work?
Coverage
What’s the
price?
What are the
different
subscriptions?

85. +80%
Sales of mobile
broad band
Customer support
emails
Number of
pages
-35%-80%

87. 20 minute
break!

88. Step #4
Forward paths
After the user has solved their task,
where do we want to send them next?

89. Inward paths Forward pathsCore content
Core page:
Business goals (achieve at least one) User tasks
Where should we
send the user, after
they’ve solved their
primary task?
Keep your goals in
mind
Work on
this for 10
minutes

90. Increasing donations

91. 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

92. Treatment of cancer
Symptoms of cancer
Preventing cancer
Cancer types
Latest research
Choosing a hospital
Donate
Volunteer
Memory gift
Legacy gift
0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6%
Top 25%
Fundraising
-tasks were on
the bottom of
the list!
6 out of
79 tasks got
25% of the
votes

93. Research
project
User task
Increase
donations
Objective

94. Make a
donation
Research
project
User task Forward path
Increase
donations
Objective

95. Portable
donation forms!

98. Portable
donation
form

99. Treatment of cancer
Symptoms of cancer
Preventing cancer
Cancer types
Latest research
Choosing a hospital
Donate
Volunteer
Memory gift
Legacy gift
0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6%
Top 25%
But some
people are
actually
coming to
donate

100. Make a
donation
User task
Increase
donations
Objective

101. Recurring
donation
Make a
donation
User task Forward path
Increase
donations
Objective

103. Regular
donors
+288%
One time
donations
+198%
Regular
donors sum
+382%

104. Regular
donors
x4
One time
donations
x3
Regular
donors sum
x5

105. 2011 2012 2013 2014
Annual income, regular
donors (web)
Launch

106. Step #5
Prioritizing core elements
How would you place these elements if
you only had a mobile screen
available?

107. Prioritizing
core elements
Work on
this for 10
minutes

108. Small-town bank on the
windy west coast of
Norway

109. Financial
jargon
Product
prices hard
to find
Dull and
lifeless
content
Takes a
long time to
get to the
point

110. Straight to the point
Clear call to action
Prices and rates
Try it yourself!
Contact the bank for more info

111. 236%
increase in mortgage
calculator use

112. Increased traffic
to all product
pages

113. Did you
notice we
never showed
you the home
pages?

114. ssf.no
2012
redesign

115. 520%
increase in traffic
compared to banners
on the front page

116. Using the
core model
for real

117. The Core Model
You can use the model to:
• Get people thinking about the web
the way the web really works
• Let people with different
backgrounds communicate
• Prioritise and start working on
the most important pages first

118. Does it work
outside of
Norway?

122. – I like the focus on the core /
task rather than the format or
other high level elements. I
think it gets to the essence of
things from the customers
perspective. It’s about focus.
Gerry McGovern

123. Takeaways
• Objectives and user tasks first
• Start with the core
• Get rid of dead ends
• Be creative about your forward
paths
• Home page last, not first
Slides and resources:
bit.ly/ias15-core

124. Martha Lyngnes / @marthaifarta
martha@netliferesearch.com
Audun Rundberg / @audunru
audun@netliferesearch.com
Thank you!
Slides and
resources:
bit.ly/
ias15-core
Feedback:
bit.ly/ias15-
core-fb