CARD SORTING & TREE TESTING

The most common problem in website design is an overlapping and confusing information structure. Luckily, there are fast and effective tools that can be used to build an information structure that makes sense to your users.

Card sorting

Card Sorting is a great method to find patterns and structures in how users would expect to find content or functionalities. Participants are asked to arrange predefined cards into content-related groups that correspond to their mental model. As a result, you get references for the optimal information architecture of your product or service.

Tree testing

Evaluates a proposed menu structure (tree) by asking participants to find items based on the site's structure and terminology. The tree is displayed in its most basic form without worrying about layout or visual design.

Tree testing is very useful as a follow-up method for card sorting. It should be conducted at an early stage of the design process, in advance of designing final page layouts and navigation menus.