User Profile: Card Sort & Tree Test
Dendrogram from Optimal Workshop Card Sort
Improve navigation for user profiles
The purpose of the card sort was to better organize navigation items and to determine the best labels for each category. Profile pages were redesigned to improve users’ navigation experience. Previous usability test findings suggested that users experienced some difficulty navigating profile pages, as well as with knowing what to expect from some navigation items.
Three iterative follow-up tree tests were conducted. The purpose of the tree tests was to validate the categories and their chosen labels by testing the navigation structure to determine if participants can find the location of navigation items within the menu.
Card Sort
Research Questions
How do users categorize navigation items?
How do users label the categories for organizing navigation items?
Which groups were most likely to have users create their own category labels?
Method
A Hybrid card sort was used. Participants were given cards for each navigation item, as well as categories those cards were expected to be sorted into.
Participants were also able to create their own categories, if they did not find a good fit from the categories provided.
Follow-up Tree Test
Research Questions
How many tries does it take for users to navigate to items?
Are any categories more difficult to navigate to than others?
Which categories have a stronger or weaker information scent?
Can participants differentiate between content in My Profile and My Interests? My Activity and My Interests?
Method
A tree test was used to determine the findability of navigation items on a website by evaluating the hierarchical structure of the website.
Participants were given a task to find where something would be located on a text-only version of a website.