NIST/CIFter Tasks (as characterized by TMF)

**The Motley Fool Audience:**

-   USER PROFILE 1:

    -   a naive to novice knowledge level investor

    -   recently became interested in investing

    -   new consumer of online investment information

    -   curious about money issues

    -   asks: \"What do I need to know about investing?\"

-   USER PROFILE 2:

    -   an intermediate to advanced investor

    -   has firsthand experience in investing

    -   more experienced consumer of online investment information

    -   invests in 401k, stocks, or mutual funds

    -   asks: \"Where do I find the investing information I need?\"

Also, we tend to believe that there is some difference in computer/web
sophistication between our two typical user profiles. User 1 is somewhat
less computer/web savvy than User 2.

The Motley Fool has a deliberately broad market focus. We want to serve
people from the moment they become interested in investing for the first
time right up until they feel they have become successful beyond their
wildest dreams. We feel that we have some of the best investment content
available on the web, no matter your level of sophistication.

## TMF Tasks

We have constructed 10 tasks which we think are typical for our users
and for which we think there might be some usability problem. For each
task we also describe what we think is the expert or preferred
navigation path. In some cases, subtasks are described. For example,
Task 04 is structured to explore the functions of the MainPage of the
site. Eight \'Expert Paths\' are given, depending on a particular
sub-question. Actual paths, even actual \'Expert Paths\', will depend on
how you, the usability engineer, decides to instantiate these generic
tasks with more specific wording. In addition, there are several
\'browsing\' tasks for which there is no \'Expert Path\'.

### TASK: 01 (TaskID: GENERAL)

### ISSUES INVOLVING GENERAL CONTENT:

We want The Motley Fool website to be as \"sticky\" as possible. We
don't define stickiness solely in terms of maximum minutes per user
session. To us, stickiness occurs when our users feel equally
comfortable spending either long, informative sessions on our site or
paying frequent, short, and productive visits. We also understand that
there are parts of our site where usability success can be measured by
shortened stopwatch times and others where the opposite is true.
Further, we know that while quality content can make a site sticky, good
usability alone can not. (We also know that bad usability can make a
site very un-sticky, very quickly.) What usability information can you
offer that will help us be as \"sticky\" as possible?

**EXPERT PATH 01:**

This task was deliberately drafted in a vague manner, much in the way
that clients/owners often tend to present usability concerns to
usability engineers. The idea here is to have the usability evaluators
create a specific task from the client-like task presentation above.
That being so, it is not possible to generate a single expert path for
this task.

### TASK: 02 (TaskID: NEW_V)

### NEW VISITORS:

Can new visitors to The Motley Fool site quickly form an accurate idea
of the general sorts of content and services the site offers? What sorts
of offerings do new users consistently perceive in the site? Conversely
which content offerings do new users consistently miss at The Motley
Fool?

Since this is basically a \'browsing\' task, there is no \'Expert Path\'
per se; these are some likely paths.

**EXPERT PATH 02A:**

This is a likely new users path from the main page, through the \"Tour\"
link

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/about/site/pg000013.htm

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/about/site/features.htm (and all pages linked to
    from this page)

4.  The \"Continue to Step 3 of 9 **Discussion Boards**\"

5.  /FoolSite/BorderPages/boundaryboard.htm

**EXPERT PATH 02B:**

This is a likely new users path from the main page, through the \"Start
Here\" link

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/about/site/pg000009.htm

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/about/site/features.htm (and all pages linked to
    from this page)

4.  The \"Continue to Step 3 of 9 **Discussion Boards**\"

5.  /FoolSite/BorderPages/boundaryboard.htm

### TASK: 03 (TaskID: CONTENT)

### NEWS/EDITORIAL CONTENT:

Among the core elements of Motley Fool content are our news and
editorial offerings. We provide these because we believe that in order
to effectively manage and direct their own finances, our visitors need
to be well and fully informed. To that end. we offer several different
sorts of news and editorial content:

-   News pieces written by Fool staff writers.

-   Pieces written by contributors to the Fool.

-   Pieces supplied by outside news services, etc.

We\'d like to know:

-   Can visitors differentiate between content from different sources?
    If they can differentiate between different content sources how much
    weight, credibility, and trust do they assign to each?

-   Looking at the news and editorial content itself, how usable is the
    page design? Does it provide good access to the information it
    presents?

The Motley Fool also tends to feature articles that are rather longer
than the norm on the web. Do we account and adjust for this adequately?
Should we provide more, or different, intra-content links or similar
tools?

**EXPERT PATH 03:**

This is another one of those deliberately vague tasks.

### TASK: 04 (TaskID: MAIN)

### MAIN PAGE:

How well does the main page work? Does it serve as an effective path
into the deeper content? For example, can a user find information to:

-   Help get out of debt?

-   Plan for retirement?

-   Buy a house?

-   Get the news about a specific company? \*\*

-   Learn to research the value of a stock? \*\*

-   Locate a message board conversation about a specific topic? \*\*

How effective is the main page navigation structure? What could be done
to improve the usability of the main page?

\*\*NOTE: These questions must involve tasks that point to information
on the 3M corporation, as that is the only corporation-specific data
included in the CIFter test content.

**EXPERT PATH 04A:**

Getting out of debt:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/browse/pg000053.htm

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/credit/credit.htm

4.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/credit/cardtricksstep10.htm (or)

5.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/news/foth/2000/foth000510.htm (or)

6.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/specials/2000/sp000412lbym.htm

**EXPERT PATH 04B:**

Using the Retirement link in the \"What\'s Here\" list:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/pg000004.htm

**EXPERT PATH 04C:**

Retirement: an alternative path

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/pg000037.htm

**EXPERT PATH 04D:**

Buy a House:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/pg000044.htm

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/house/house.htm (and all links on the above page)

**EXPERT PATH 04E:**

News About a Company:\
In this case we will need to direct people to the 3M offerings.

Using the Stock Research tab in the top navigation bar:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/research.htm (and all links on the above
    page)

**EXPERT PATH 04F:**

Using the Stock Research link in the directory:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/pg000058.htm (and all links on the above
    page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/pg000059.htm#complete (and all links on
    the above page)

4.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/products/pg000060.htm (and all links on
    the above page)

**EXPERT PATH 04G:**

Research value of a stock:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/foolsden/foolsden.htm (including all
    links on this page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/features/features.htm (including all
    links on this page)

4.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/products/suboptions.htm (including all
    links on this page)

5.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/spotlight/spotlight.htm (including all
    links on this page)

6.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/about/about.htm (including all links on
    this page)

**EXPERT PATH 04H:**

Locate Message Board About a Topic: (Here again, any task growing out of
this content area will have to point to the 3M boards. )

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/boardstart/index.htm

3.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000006.htm

4.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000001.htm

5.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000007.htm

6.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000050.htm

7.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000182.htm

8.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000358.htm (then, clicking on the \"Minnesota
    Mining & Mfg.\" Link it takes you to a page with only one post,
    number 442 of 442, )

9.  /FoolSite/FoolBoards/pg000001.htm (Then, using the \"Previous\"
    button at the top of the page)

### TASK: 05 (TaskID: CORE)

### THE CORE CONTENT OF THE MOTLEY FOOL: 

The Motley Fool offers several kinds of content that form the
philosophical core of the site. Among these are offerings like \"13
Steps to Investing Foolishly\" and The Motley Fool's own example
portfolios like the \"Rule Maker Portfolio\" and the \"Rule Breaker
Portfolio.\" Are users (especially new users) even aware of these
content areas? How do they tend to take advantage of them? What could be
done to increase the usability and visibility of such core content?

**EXPERT PATH 05A:**

13 Steps:

This is the expert path directly into the \"13 Steps to Investing\" link
in the left navigation directory.

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/school/13steps/pg000011.htm

**EXPERT PATH 05B:**\
This is the expert path through the \"Start Here\" link into \"13 Steps
to Investing\".

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/about/site/new/pg000009.htm

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/school/13steps/13steps.htm (or)

4.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/school.htm

**EXPERT PATH 05C:**

This is the expert path through the \"Our investing Strategies\" link
into the main page directory.

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/pg000015.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/portfolios/rulemaker/pg000017.htm (and all pages
    linked to from this page)

**EXPERT PATH 05D:**

Rule Breaker:\
This is the expert path through the \"Our investing Strategies\" link
into the main page directory.

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/pg000015.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/portfolios/rulebreaker/pg000016.htm (and all
    pages linked to from this page)

### TASK: 06 (TaskID: ADV)

### ADVERTISING:

The Motley Fool sells space on the site to advertisers. Advertising is
very important to us because it provides a substantial part of our
corporate revenue stream. Still, we don't want external advertising to
interfere with our content nor do we want our content to adversely
impact our advertisers' messages. We ask ourselves questions about this
constantly. For example:

-   Can users distinguish links to internal Fool content from links to
    external advertisers' content?

-   When a user clicks on an ad are they aware of the fact (or do they
    tend to perceive) that they have just attempted to leave the site?

-   Is advertising on The Motley Fool perceived as an annoyance? Is
    advertising seen as a source of additional information? Or is it
    simply not perceived at all?

In short, what is the usability impact of advertising on The Motley Fool
site?

**EXPERT PATH 06A:**\
(This is a rather subjective task that does not lend itself to a clearly
defined expert path.)

### TASK: 07 (TaskID: QUOTES)

### QUOTES & DATA:

The Motley Fool offers users the ability to get quotes and data about
different stocks on the site. On the live site, individual stock
information is dynamically updated and that updated information is then
used to update the portfolio information as a whole. Does this
information work well? Is it clear enough for novice investors? Is it
sophisticated enough for more advanced users? What can be done to
improve the usability of this information content?

This area of inquiry must involve specific tasks that point to
information on the 3M corporation, as that is the only
corporation-specific data included in the CIFter test content.

**EXPERT PATH 07A:**

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/default.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/pg000022.htm?symbols=&Go.x=15&Go.y=5 (and all
    pages linked to from this page)

4.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/pg000003.htm

5.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/pg000004.htm

6.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/historical/pg000005.htm

7.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/news/pg000006.htm

8.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/Estimates/pg000007.htm

9.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/Chart/pg000008.htm

10. /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/Snapshot/pg000009.htm

11. /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/Snapshot/pg000010.htm

### TASK: 08 (TaskID: RESEARCH)

### RESEARCHING STOCK INFORMATION:

A core belief of The Motley Fool is that people should do their own
stock research and make their own investment decisions (we call this
\"investing Foolishly\") rather than depending on brokers and financial
advisers (which we deride as \"investing Wisely\"). To that end, there
are various ways for people to get stock information from The Motley
Fool website. Among the questions we ask ourselves are:

-   Can users find the information they want?

-   Can they use what they find?

-   Conversely, are we offering our more advanced users the right mix of
    features?

-   Is the information we provide prioritized correctly?

-   Do these features work well, especially for new users? What could be
    done to improve the way we get stock information to all our users?

This area of inquiry must involve specific tasks that either point to
information on the **3M Corporation** or, in this case, to the free
Stock Research Report on the **AMGEN Corporation** that is included in
the CIFter test content.

**EXPERT PATH 08A:**

3M (Minnesota Mining and Mfg.) via Stock Research tab:\
This is the expert path through the \"Our investing Strategies\" link in
the main page directory.

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/research.htm (and all pages linked to
    from this page)

3.  /FoolSite/BorderPages/boundaryquotes.htm

4.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/pg000001.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)

**EXPERT PATH 08B:**

3M (Minnesota Mining and Mfg.) via Stock Research directory link:\
This is the expert path through the \"Our investing Strategies\" link in
the main page directory.

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/pg000058.htm (and all pages linked to
    from this page)

3.  /FoolSite/BorderPages/boundaryquotes.htm

4.  /FoolSite/FoolQuotes/pg000001.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)

**EXPERT PATH 08C:**

Amgen via Stock Research tab:\
This is the expert path through the Stock Research top navigation tab:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/research.htm

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/products/freeresearch.htm

4.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/7/100/70/0001/wwwfoolcom/art/new/research/free1amgn.pdf

**EXPERT PATH 08D:**

Or, going through Stock Research tab, using the Amgen link in the NEW
RELEASES table:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/research.htm (and all pages linked to
    from this page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/reports/amgn.htm (and all pages linked
    to from this page)

**EXPERT PATH 08E:**

Amgen via Stock Research directory link:\
This is the expert path through the \"Stock Research\" link in the main
page directory.

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/pg000058.htm

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/products/freeresearch.htm

4.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/7/100/70/0001/wwwfoolcom/art/new/research/free1amgn.pdf

**EXPERT PATH 08F:**

Or, going through the directory, using the \"Companies We Cover\" link,
then using the Amgen link in the NEW RELEASES table:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/pg000059.htm#complete (and all pages
    linked to from this page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/research/reports/amgn.htm (and all pages linked
    to from this page)

### TASK: 09 (TaskID: DBC)

### THE DISCOUNT BROKERAGE CENTER:

One of the basic tenets of The Motley Fool is that individuals are far
better off managing their own investments themselves, rather than
handing that responsibility over to \"professionals\" such as
high-commission stock brokers. We support this by offering tools such as
the Discount Brokerage Center (DBC) which allows each Motley Fool
visitor to choose a discount stock brokerage that works best in his or
her case.

-   Does the DBC present the information users want?

-   How well does the DBC work?

-   Does the DBC facilitate choosing making appropriate choices?

-   What could be done to improve the DBC?

-   Is the DBC effective for novice investors?

-   Is the action path for the DBC clear and obvious?

This area is very important to us because it supports one of the last
steps in the process of \"investing Foolishly,\" that is, taking charge
of your money. What can we do to make this better?

**EXPERT PATH 09A:**

Using the \"Choose a Broker\" link immediately under the top navigation
bar on the main page:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/dbc/pg000007.htm (and all pages linked to from
    this page)

**EXPERT PATH 09B:**\
Using the \"Major Financial Decisions\" link in the directory:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/pg000044.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/dbc/dbc2.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)

**EXPERT PATH 09C:**

Using the \"Get a Broker\" link (under the \"Major Financial Decisions\"
link) in the directory:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/dbc/pg000045.htm (and all pages linked to from
    this page)

3.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/dbc/articles/01.htm

### TASK: 10 (TaskID: MSGBOARD)

### MESSAGE BOARDS:

We know that the message boards at The Motley Fool offer a vast pool of
information and a genuine opportunity for Fool users to contribute to
the site community.

-   How well do the boards work?

-   Can people navigate through the content efficiently?

-   Are the controls easy to use?

-   What are your recommendations for improvement?

These questions must involve tasks that point to information on the 3M
corporation, as that is the only corporation-specific data included in
the CIFter test content.

**EXPERT PATH 10A:**

Using the \"Discussion Boards\" tab in the top navigation bar on the
main page:

1.  /FoolSite/FoolMain/index.htm

2.  /FoolSite/boardstart/index.htm

3.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000006.htm

4.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000001.htm

5.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000007.htm

6.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000050.htm

7.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000182.htm

8.  /FoolSite/boardstart/pg000358.htm

9.  /FoolSite/FoolBoards/pg000001.htm (and all pages linked to from this
    page)