Written by DROPS.ST.
Decide what a customer is trying to accomplish before choosing the next screen. Browsing an item, placing an order and getting help with an existing request have different completion conditions. A visit can succeed without starting a new checkout.
DROPS brings the catalogue and customer-linked orders into one shop. That gives you concrete information around which to define these tasks: product details for browsing, item selections for ordering and the relevant order context for support. Connected Telegram shopping uses the same catalogue and order system.
Start with the visitor's question
Write the task in ordinary customer language. “What does one pack contain?” is a browsing question. “I want to order this quantity” is an ordering task. “Where do I find the collection information for my existing order?” needs a different answer.
Avoid deciding that every visitor needs a new cart because that is the most prominent feature. Equally, do not make someone contact staff to find product information the shop should explain.
GOV.UK's user-needs guidance recommends understanding what users are trying to achieve and treating unsupported assumptions as questions to investigate. Apply that principle to the shop's task map. GOV.UK: learning about user needs.
Define three task outcomes
Use this map with the actual supported screens and information in the proposed setup.
| Visitor's task | First useful destination | Evidence of completion |
|---|---|---|
| Browse and understand an item | Catalogue and product details | Visitor identifies the item, unit and relevant facts |
| Place a new order | Product selection and cart | Intended item/quantity reaches the agreed ordering path |
| Get help with an existing task | Supported order view or approved help route | Visitor knows the next step without starting another purchase |
Keep the completion condition specific. A successful browsing visit might end after the unit question is answered. The ordering task continues into its permitted workflow. A help task may end with clear instructions or a prepared support request rather than an immediate resolution.
Required age, access or eligibility checks remain part of the applicable route. This map does not justify removing them to make a task shorter.
Let each task stand on its own
For browsing, inspect whether the product name, image and unit answer the question. Do not send the visitor through a purchase step merely to understand the item.
For ordering, distinguish selection from help information. The cart should contain what the customer intended; service explanations should support that decision without pretending an unsupported option is available.
For help, establish which information the supported customer view provides and when staff involvement is needed. Do not invent a guest lookup or automatic routing feature. Use an approved route that actually exists in the setup.
The service FAQ guide helps define reliable answers. It does not replace the decision about whether someone needs an answer, a new order or help with an existing one.
Test intent with three short prompts
Give an authorized tester one prompt at a time: understand a pack, begin a fictional selection, or find the next step for an invented existing-order question.
Observe the first action and the evidence they find. Ask them to explain when the task is complete. If they start another order to obtain an answer about an existing one, record that mismatch.
Use a safe demonstration and stop before real transactions or external messages. The exercise tests task understanding; checkout acceptance separately tests what a supported submission produces.
Hypothetical example: help mistaken for another purchase
A fictional visitor wants collection information for an order already placed. The shop's initial presentation emphasizes starting a new order, while its approved help information is difficult to identify.
The reviewer changes the proposed task map so an existing-order question has a clear help destination. They then repeat the same prompt and check whether the next step is understandable.
They have not demonstrated faster service or changed a collection policy. The decision concerns the purpose of the visit and the information route supporting it.
Build useful customer choices around DROPS
Choose DROPS when you want product browsing and customer-linked ordering information in a coherent shop. The shared records give these different tasks a common foundation without requiring every visit to become the same purchase sequence.
Explore DROPS and open the demos. Bring the three prompts, identify each intended outcome and inspect the supported route. Accept the task map when browsing, ordering and help each have a clear purpose and a demonstrable next step.