The document outlines the process undertaken by the Norwegian Cancer Society and Netlife Research to redesign their website to better serve users' needs and improve navigation. Key goals included increasing cancer survival rates and enhancing online services, which were supported through a collaborative research approach focused on user tasks and content prioritization. The redesign resulted in significant increases in donations and membership, demonstrating the effectiveness of their new content strategy and governance model.

1. Content against cancer
Ida Aalen @idaAa
Senior interaction designer, Netlife Research
Beate Sørum @BeateSorum
Digital fundraising, The Norwegian Cancer Society

2. Agenda
•
•
•
Using the core model to prioritize content in a responsive
website
How content is enhanced by working collaboratively and
interdisciplinarily
Amazing results!

3. What is Netlife
Research?

6. What is The Norwegian
Cancer Society?

7. What we do:
•
•
•
•
•
•
fund cancer research
cancer care
cancer prevention
advocacy
information
fighting cancer on a global scale

8. The Norwegian Cancer
Society website
...before.

13. «Support us»-menu
Banners;
- become a member
- donate withdrawn coins
Button leading to web shop
@BeateSorum
http://about.me/beatesorum

14. Why did we need a new
website?
•
•
•
The problem
Overlapping content with
no links
Content did not addressing
the users’ key questions
Difficult to navigate and
not prioritized

15. Why did we need a new
website?
•
•
•
The problem
Overlapping content with
no links
Content did not addressing
the users’ key questions
Difficult to navigate and
not prioritized
•
•
•
How did that happen?
Too many stakeholders
40-45 people were working
in decentralized silos
6 year old website with a
rigid information
architecture and equal
weight to all sections

16. The
process
1. Finding goals, KPIs and
target audiences
2. Identifying top user tasks
3. Developing a concept and
tone of voice
4. The Core Model: Bringing
goals, user tasks and the
concept together
5. Design, content and
development
6. Governance and
development

17. #1
Finding goals, KPIs and
target audiences

20. Our goals
•
•
•
In general
Reducing the number of
people who get cancer
Increasing cancer survival
rates
Ensuring quality of life for
cancer patients and their
family and close friends

21. Our goals
•
•
•
In general
Reducing the number of
people who get cancer
Increasing cancer survival
rates
Ensuring quality of life for
cancer patients and their
family and close friends
1.
2.
3.
4.
Online
Helping patients and their
friends and family
Increasing knowledge
about cancer and
prevention
Increasing online self
service
Improving our reputation
and position

22. Target
audiences
1.
2.
3.
4.
Primary
Patients
Friends and next of kin
“Average Joe & Jane”
Scientists

23. Target
audiences
1.
2.
3.
4.
Primary
Patients
Friends and next of kin
“Average Joe & Jane”
Scientists
•
•
•
•
•
Secondary
Professionals
Media
Government
Education
Sponsors

24. #2
Identifying top user
tasks

25. Whoever
screams loudest
will win?

26. Tons of
research
•
•
•
•
•
Focus groups with patients
and next of kin
Surveys of The Cancer
Society’s reputation
Google Analytics
Interviews with 10
stakeholders and 10
potential users
Top task survey

27. Top task analysis
“If you’re visiting The Cancer Society’s website, which of
these five tasks are the most important to you?”

28. 1400
1200
Vote
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1
6
11
16
21
26
31
36
41
Tasks
46
51
56
61
66
71
76

29. Treatment of cancer
Symptoms of cancer
Cancer
treatment,
symptoms, and
prevention was
most
important
Preventing cancer
Cancer types
Latest research
Choosing a hospital
Top 25%
Patient rights
0.4% vote for
“Donate” and
“Volunteer”
Next of kin
Waiting times
Dietary prevention
0 %
1 %
2 %
3 %
4 %
5 %
6 %

30. #3
Developing a concept
and tone of voice

31. Going
through user
research and
goals
@WilhelmJA
Front end
developer
@ThordFoss
Graphic
designer
@EirikHafver
Content
strategist

32. Sketching
ideas for
functionality
and concept

33. Feedback
from the
group

34. Which ideas
are
connected?
What
should we
take with us
going next?

35. 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, and behind all the statistics,
doctor’s coats and bureaucracy there are human
beings wanting to help.

36. 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 facless institution, but
competent professionals with a name and a face.

37. #4
Bringing goals, user
tasks and the concept
together

38. The challenge
•
•
•
•
Users were looking for content that supported goal 1 & 2:
Helping patients, their friends and family
Increasing knowledge about cancer and prevention
But none of the user tasks supporting goal 3 & 4 came
up on top:
Increased self service
Increasing donations and members

39. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

40. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

41. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

42. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

43. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

44. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

45. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

46. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture
Home page

47. This is the
traditional
approach to design,
navigation and
information
architecture

48. A lot of your users
will never visit any
other page

49. A lot of your users
will never visit any
other page
Googled “lung cancer”

50. A lot of your users
will never visit any
other page
Googled “lung cancer”
Link on Facebook about cancer research

51. A lot of your users
will never visit any
other page
Googled “lung cancer”
Link on Facebook about cancer research
75% of the
traffic to The
Norwegian
Cancer Society
from Google

52. A new approach:
The Core Model
•
•
•
A lot of your users will never see your home page. They get there
via Google, social media and links
We have to stop using hierarchy and categories as our starting
point
We need to start with the answers to your users need, and work
from there

53. Business
goals
User
tasks

54. Business
goals
User
tasks

55. Business
goals
User
tasks

56. Business
goals
User
tasks

57. Business
goals
User
tasks

58. Business
goals
User
tasks
Core pages

59. Business
goals
User
tasks
Core pages

60. Using the
core model
•
•
The core
•
•
Core pages are where your
users solve their task - and
you reach your objectives.
Good ways in and making
sure there are no blind
alleys, becomes more
important than structure
and hierarchy
The core is the same on all
devices
Letting the user finish her
task first, lets us better
guide her next actions

61. Objectives
Ways in
User tasks
Core content
Ways forward

62. @BeateSorum
Working in
pairs to
identify ways in,
core content
and ways
out
@Mona_Stensrud

63. People from
different parts of
the organization
were paired

66. Treatment of cancer
Symptoms of cancer
Cancer
treatment,
symptoms, and
prevention was
most
important
Preventing cancer
Cancer types
Latest research
Choosing a hospital
Top 25%
Patient rights
0.4% vote for
“Donate” and
“Volunteer”
Next of kin
Waiting times
Dietary prevention
0 %
1 %
2 %
3 %
4 %
5 %
6 %

67. Core page
Research
project

68. Core page
Way forward
Research
project
Make a donation

69. Core page
Research
project
Way forward
Make a donation
Business objective
Increasing
donations and
members

70. Core page
Way forward
Business objective
Talk to others in
the same situation
Helping
patients, their
family and
friends
Waiting for
treatment
Attend a course or
group

71. Core page
Cancer forms
Way forward
Prevention
Business objective
Increasing
knowledge
about cancer
and prevention

72. #5
Design, content and
development
https://kreftforeningen.no

73. Early paper sketch
Byline
A human
face?

74. Early paper sketch
Early photoshop sketch
Byline
That’s more
like it!
A human
face?

75. Early paper sketch
Early photoshop sketch
HTML & CSS prototype
No “Lorem
Ipsum”. We only
used actual
content when
designing.

76. The
core
Related
Menu

77. Lung
cancer
Symptoms
Help line

78. Prevention
and causes
Diagnosing
Opinion

79. Note
Prevalence
and
survival
rates

80. We used the core model
to overcome the fact
that fundraising wasn’t
a top task

81. The paradox of choice
The idea that more choices actually lead to fewer
actions.

82. Follow us on Facebook
Sponsor a child
Recurring gift
Subscribe to newsletter
Donate now!
Order brochure
Become a
member
Download app
Join our #Instagram competition
Volunteer

83. Donate now!
Follow on facebook
Sponsor
Recurring gift
Order
Subscribe
Member
Download app
Join our #instagram competition
Volunteer

87. We can put forms on any page we like, they’re
“portable”
Facebook
Landing page
Cancer
research
Direct
mail
Ads
Donate

88. @BeateSorum
http://about.me/beatesorum

89. @BeateSorum
http://about.me/beatesorum

90. #6
Governance

91. Web editor

92. Web editor
Cancer
Fundraising Research
Prevention
Rights

93. Web editor
Cancer
Fundraising Research
Prevention
Rights

94. The editors
•
•
•
•
•
Thanks
to a lot of
lobbying by
@EirikHafver
•
Signed mandate from
management
Overview of all content
Knows user tasks and goals
Working collaboratively
and interdisciplinary
Editors know their field
and know how to write
The departments no longer
own the content - they’re
sources

95. A cultural change in
how we treat our
content

96. –
We have five questions that
we use to find out whether
new content should be
added to the website or not.
Marte Gråberg
Webeditor of kreftforeningen.no

97. 5 questions
The Cancer
Society ask
about
(new)
content
1. Who’s the target audience?
2. Does this content cover
some need or task for this
target audience? Which?
3. Does this content cover a
strategic goal for The
Cancer Society? Which?
4. Describe how you imagine
this content will be found
and used by the user
5. Why is the website the
right channel for this
content?

98. Top user tasks
This part of the
home page has
not changed since
launch

99. Dynamic
content
At the bottom of
the home page,
the Cancer
Society can
highlight current
events

100. Results

102. +20 %

103. –
More people than earlier
contact the cancer line, but
now they’re more informed
when they contact us
Anine Wiig Dagestad
Web editor and cancer nurse

104. 40
“Source: Cancer society”
30
20
10
0
2010
2011
2012
2013 (so far)

105. When Norway’s biggest
newspaper needs to
explain what NET
cancer is...
VG.no links
to NCS
April
May
June
July
August
September October

106. –
We’re seeing more press
with basic “cut and paste”
from our pages, especially
on prevention
Marte Gråberg / @MarteGraberg
Webeditor of kreftforeningen.no

109. One time
donations
+70 %
Donations
total
+73 %
Monthly
donations
+88 %

110. 100%
90%
250 kr
500 kr
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2012 sep
2012 okt
2012 nov
2012 des
2013 jan
2013 feb
2013 mar
2013 apr
2013 mai
2013 jun
2013 jul
2013 aug
2013 sep

111. 100%
90%
Default
changed from
250 kr to 500 kr
250 kr
500 kr
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2012 sep
2012 okt
2012 nov
2012 des
2013 jan
2013 feb
2013 mar
2013 apr
2013 mai
2013 jun
2013 jul
2013 aug
2013 sep

112. New
members
+164 %

113. –
Before, people had
responsibility for their area
and worked solely with that.
We’re working differently...
Marte Gråberg / @MarteGraberg
Webeditor of kreftforeningen.no

114. ...with our content now than
how we used to. We’re doing
more work together.
Marte Gråberg / @MarteGraberg
Webeditor of kreftforeningen.no

115. Questions?
@idaAa or ida@netliferesearch.com
@BeateSorum or beate.sorum@kreftforeningen.no
@ThordFoss Graphic Designer
@EirikHafver Content Strategist
@WilhelmJA Frontend Developer
@MarteGraberg Web Editor
@SolheimSlind Web Master

116. Thank you!
Ida Aalen @idaAa
Senior interaction designer, Netlife Research
Beate Sørum @BeateSorum
Digital fundraising, The Norwegian Cancer Society