Top Tasks for cloud migration
Using the Top Tasks method to understand what IT admins need when deciding whether to move their teams' tools to the cloud.
- Role
- UX Research Intern. I owned the project end to end and handed it off at the end of my internship
- Team
- Migrations research team
- Timeline
- 3 months (Summer 2021)
- Methods
- Secondary research, task-list development, cognitive testing, admin interviews, Top Tasks survey
The problem
Atlassian had announced the end of life for its Server products. Customers would have to decide whether to move to Cloud or Data Center, and IT admins carried much of that decision. The migrations team needed a clear picture of what admins are actually trying to get done when they evaluate a migration, so they could prioritize what to build and what to explain better.
Why Top Tasks
Top Tasks, developed by Gerry McGovern, asks a large group of people to pick the handful of tasks that matter most to them from a long, comprehensive list. Because people have to choose, the results show a clear ranking instead of “everything is important.” It fit this problem well: there were many possible admin needs and limited room to address all of them.
What I did
- Built on existing research first. I started with secondary research on the migration space to draft a long list of candidate admin tasks, so the team wasn’t starting from zero.
- Cognitive testing. I tested the draft task list with admins to check that each task was understood the way we intended, then revised the wording.
- Interviews. I moderated eight interviews with admins to understand how they make the migration decision.
- Survey build and handoff. I built the quantitative Top Tasks survey on User Interviews and laid out the next steps (refine phrasing, launch, synthesize, and share) for the team that carried it forward.
What I learned
- There are more methods than I realized. Top Tasks gave the team a ranked answer in a way open-ended interviews alone couldn’t.
- Lean on past research. Learning from secondary research saves time and resources.
- Rehearse everything. Even standard scripts like informed consent go better with practice.