Every day, millions of people are depending on the Web for vital information about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 

We identified the top tasks of those coming to the WHO, Canadian, Irish, Norwegian and New Zealand government health websites. We wanted to see if there were common tasks across multiple geographies, and whether there was a universal classification for COVID-19 information. 

More than 25,000 people were involved either in voting on the tasks and/or in helping sort and classify them. Out of the process we collaboratively designed a universal classification for COVID-19 information.    

– Learn about designing remotely and collaboratively, and how to define the task / user needs environment in a comprehensive and robust way.  
– Learn about designing with evidence, designing with people, not simply for them.  

There’s an old Japanese saying: “No shortcuts today. I’m in a hurry.” The mantra for managing COVID-19 has been testing, testing, testing, research driven, evidence-based. Let’s get back to the basics—the nuts and bolts—of doing quality information architecture design. It’s about knowing what truly matters to people and prioritizing the continuous improvement of those top tasks.