1.
The Lost Art of
Task Modelling
Jesmond Allen @jesmond

2.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Diamond_Ring_Stage_of_21-8-2017_Eclipse_2.jpg

3.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Diamond_Ring_Stage_of_21-8-2017_Eclipse_2.jpg

4.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Diamond_Ring_Stage_of_21-8-2017_Eclipse_2.jpg

5.
Task
keep in touch
with my
friend
Solutions
• visit and talk
• write a letter
• send a telegram
• make a phone call
• send an email
• send a text
• Facebook
• WhatsApp, Snapchat,
whatever the kids are
using these days…

6.
B
A
E
A B
C
D
E

7.
£0 £££

8.
£0 £££
£0 £££

9.
£0 £££
£0 £££

10.
https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/23462/why-dont-atms-give-you-cash-before-your-card

11.
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=28&doc_id=1286751

12.
Main nav Sort and filter Product details

13.
Good
job!

14.
Messaging around quality,
reliability and guarantees
Show match
schedules up front
Product page
contents

15.
https://www.lomography.com/magazine/148493-
taming-the-beast-vintage-lion-tamer-photos

16.
More at:uxpa-uk.org/events/ taboo-ux/

17.
http://boxesandarrows.com/four-modes-of-seeking-information-and-how-to-design-for-them/

18.
Trigger
“She can’t manage
on her own any
more”
First contact
“What kind of care and support is
available to us?”
Users are often looking for information
in a crisis situation, in a highly
emotional state.
They do not know what they are looking
for yet.
People would ideally have one person
who would tell them what they need to
do and when. If it couldn't be one
person then the next best thing would
be having one place where everyone
sent them with well written information
and signposting to services.
LA assessment
LA determines how urgent and
severe the care needs are
LA check level of income and
decide whether to grant full or
partial care funding
Not everyone applies for LA
funding
Goal: find and arrange care and support for an old person (at home)
Task Model
Reviews
Meet
service
manager
Care
services
provided
Specific
details of
care
Price
Availability
How can
we get
help?
Choosing home care provider
Choosing the right home care provider
Cooking
meals
Day
centres,
activities
Befriending
servicesMedical or
psychological
treatments
Taking
medicines
Advocacy
Getting
up,
washing,
dressing
Shopping
Information
& advice
Cleaning
Transport
Decide we
need help
Planning care funding
Planning for future financial
commitments to funding care
Choosing care types
What kinds of care & support are required?
What kinds of care and support are available?
What is affordable?
What can be provided by informal carers?
What can be organised privately and what can be funded by LA?
Some users evaluate affordability of partially
or fully privately care.
It is particularly important for care homes
funding where the costs are particularly high.
If users have a shortlist of home care providers, they
try to find this information for every agency to
compare and make a decision.
In some cases decision may be made on the spot,
because “it felt right”, because of time pressure,
without any rational thinking.
Recommen
dations for
care
providers
How long
does it
take?
Talk to
professionals,
the council
Talk to
friends &
family
Arrange LA
needs
assessment
Apply for
LA funding
Gather
financial
info
LA
“Support
offer”
Personal
budget
Needs level
determined
by LA
Self-
financing
Accept
care
chosen by
LA
Home
adaptations
Council-
provided
Private
Informal
carers
Make
benefit
claim
Meal
delivery
Ineligible
for LA
support
Advised to
apply for
benefits
Support
for carers
What are
we entitled
to?
How much
does it
cost?
What do I
need to
know?
Understand the
process of arranging
care & suport
What is
available
locally?
Who will
provide
care?What type
of care do
we need?
What
types of
care are
there?
LA funding
decision
Apply for LA
funding
Needs level
determined
by LA
End user’s
opinion of
needs
Family’s
opinion of
needs
Locally
available
services
Choose care types
Affordability
Care needs
Domestic
help
Homecare services
& personal care
Community
support
Emotional
care
Gardening
Voluntary
sector
Care
provision
Professional
advice
Choose care provider
Recommen
dations
Private
funding
top up
Benefits
received
(Attedance /
Carers
Allowance)
Urgency of
need
Meet
carers
Shortlist
providers
Compare
providers
Conflicting
advice and
opinions
Price
Long-term
cost
What
happens if
private
funding
runs out
Long-term
affordability
Private
top-up
funding
Funding
responsibil
ities when
prices
increase
When LA
might
increase
funding
LA funding
available
Plan care
funding for the
long term
Cho
the
avai
no
Orienting
Get up-to-speed quickly
- Primer, getting started guide, do
this first
- Guide to the system
- Signpost deeper understanding
Target-seeking
Evaluating
Exploring & evaluating
What funding options are there?
What works best for us?
- Outline available options, pros and
Exploring & evaluating
What care is available? What elements
do we care about?
What’s best for us?
Exploring & evaluating
What are the options? What might happen?
What’s best for us?
Evaluating
What care is available that me
area on my budget?
Which provider best for us?
- Outline available providers
- Compare like for like
- Get in touch
DRAFT

19.
WTF?

20.
Zeigarnik
Effect
Mental
sets

21.
Bluma Wulfovna Zeigarnik
1900 – 1988
Soviet psychologist and psychiatrist

22.
The Zeigarnik Effect
People remember
uncompleted or interrupted
tasks better than completed
tasks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeigarnik_effect

23.
Zeigarnik theorized that incomplete
tasks incite “psychic tension” in
you, which can be a persuasive
impetus to complete the task.
http://www.rightattitudes.com/2017/03/14/zeigarnik-effect/

24.
Incomplete tasks
trigger stress

25.
https://www.90percentofeverything.com/
2013/08/21/deadly-set-how-too-much-focus-
causes-mistakes/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_401

26.
Mental sets
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(psychology)
A mental set is a framework for thinking about a problem.
It can be shaped by habit or by desire. Mental sets can
make it easy to solve a class of problem, but attachment
to the wrong mental set can inhibit problem-solving and
creativity.

27.
What have we
learned?

28.
Humans complete tasks in a
specific order.

29.
https://www.aol.com/2010/07/14/20-most-annoying-things-at-the-grocery-store
https://www.thecomplainingcow.co.uk/supermarkets-most-annoying-habits-revealed/

30.
Photo https://www.bdcnetwork.com/5-breakthrough-applications-vertical-
transportation
https://bigdatalittleyou.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/smartelevator.jpg

31.
Humans fixate on their task…
https://www.lostateminor.com/2015/07/15/open-source-
blinkers-for-those-irritated-by-the-sight-of-humans/

32.
Photo, Harsh1: https://flic.kr/p/8oz4UM
More on cliffhangers at:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160201-why-we-love-a-cliffhanger

33.
https://youtu.be/vJG698U2Mvo Simons & Chabris
Selective Attention Test

34.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qumj0
Derren Brown, Person Swap

35.
… until they consider it finished,
when they move on to
something else.

36.
Photo: https://szeifertjudit.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/peter-falk-as-columbo.jpg
Just one more
thing…
Columbo

37.
Jesmond’s
Laws of Task Modelling
1. Order matters
2. We’re fixated on completion
3. We forget afterwards

38.
Interaction design
vs
Jesmond’s Laws of Task Modelling*

39.
Interaction design
vs
Jesmond’s Laws of Task Modelling*
with apologies to the brands featured,
you’re really very far from the only ones
*

40.
Law 1
Order
matters
Law 2
Fixated

41.
Law 3
Forget
afterwards
Law 2
Fixated

42.
Law 2
Fixated

43.
Law 1
Order
matters
Law 2
Fixated

44.
Law 1
Order
matters

45.
Law 1
Order
matters

46.
Law 3
Forget
afterwards

47.
1Understand your users

48.
1Understand your users’ tasks

49.
1Understand your users

50.
2Identify common steps

51.
3<Magic goes here>

52.
Boxes, arrows &
washing machines

53.
Main task
Step 1 Step 2 Goal
Factor
1
Factor
2
Factor
3
Step 3

54.
Main task
Step 1 Step 2 Goal
Factor
1
Factor
2
Factor
3
Step 3
Step 4

55.
Produce a task model
Research
users’
tasks
Identify
common
steps
Boxes
Arrows
Washing
machines
Draw diagram
Order &
name steps
Feedback
Win!

56.
Templates at:
cxpartners.co.uk/
ux-resources

57.
Designing with task
models in mind

58.
Jesmond’s
Laws of Task Modelling
1. Order matters
2. We’re fixated on completion
3. We forget afterwards

59.
?Any questions…?
@jesmond
jesmond@jesmondallen.co.uk