6 “Essential” Top Tasks for New Students at The University of Edinburgh
“Top Tasks” most often refers to a research methodology popularized by Gerry McGovern to identify the website tasks most important to people using a website. You don’t often see the term used on an actual university website. But why not? Why not also use it to clearly identify in “can’t miss” design format the “essential” elements of a task required by a particular group?
That’s exactly what The University of Edinburgh has done to identify the “Essential 6 Top Tasks” for new students to register at the university. The language after the heading is a nice example of jargon-free, easy-to-understand web writing, presented in a font size that’s justs a bit larger than the text that follows:
- “You must complete these essential Top 6 Tasks before you start and during your first week, to enable you to begin your studies with us.”
- Note use of the “you” word rather than “students must” do this and that. An important and not difficult web improvement resolution for 2021 might be editing your content to remove the bureaucratic “students must” and “students will” terminology.
Easy-to-scan tasks…
The 6 tasks follow in a presentation format that’s easy to scan on either large screen or mobile device:
- Register your University Login and log in to MyEd
- Get started on Office365
- Begin the matriculation process
- Pay your fees and prepare your finances
- Apply for your University student card
- Register with a local doctor and access your health services
Individual tasks will of course differ from one school to another… but the design format is universal. Similarly, this format can be applied for “essential” tasks in other areas as well. Think, for instance, applying for financial aid. Or for campus housing. Or studying abroad. The more widely used the format the better the website becomes for potential and current students. Yes, “better” here is defined as “easy to use.”
Follow the Link of the Week
Explore an unusual but smart use of “Top Tasks” terminology when you visit The University of Eddinburgh “Start your Essential Top 6 Tasks.”
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