How do you conduct user research specifically to make better taxonomy design decisions? It's not technically challenging, there are just a few considerations you need to make. First time conducting user research? Never fear, we're here to help you figure it out. For even more information, download the complementary e-book: http://factorfirm.com/posts/user-research-for-taxonomy-design-the-e-book/

1. Leveraging User Research
for Taxonomy Design
Sarah Barrett + Rachel Price
Taxonomy Bootcamp 2016

2. Why do user research?

3. Why do user research?
You can’t afford not to.

4. Who does user research?

5. Who does user research?
You do user research.

6. Basic steps
1. Define objectives
2. Recruit participants
3. Screen participants
4. Conduct interviews
5. Analyze findings

7. Defining your objectives:
What do you really need to
know?

8. Recruiting participants

9. Recruiting participants
Use a recruiter for large studies, or when your participants are not
easily accessible to you.

10. Recruiting participants
Recruit participants yourself for small studies, or when you have
direct access to participants (your co-workers).

11. Screening participants:
Find the best candidates.

12. Conducting interviews

13. Learn to improvise.

14. Learn to get out of the way.

15. Analyzing for taxonomy implications
The axes on which they want to pivot (taxonomies)
How people need content grouped based on what they usually do (structure)
The language they use (terms)

16. Analyzing for taxonomy implications
The axes on which they want to pivot (taxonomies)
How people need content grouped based on what they do (structure)
The language they use (terms)

17. Analyzing for taxonomy implications
The axes on which they want to pivot (taxonomies)
How people need content grouped based on what they usually do (structure)
The language they use (terms)

18. Finding your implications

19. 1: Collective brain dump
least rigorous

20. 2: Closed card sort style
moderately rigorous

21. 3: Open card sort style
most rigorous

22. Outcomes of user research
Better for you,
Better for your users.

23. “That makes sense, we should do
that sometime.”

24. Are you thinking this right now?
Not sometime.
Now. Start small.
“That makes sense, we should do
that sometime.”

25. Sarah Barrett
sarah.barrett@factorfirm.com
Rachel Price
rachel.price@factorfirm.com

26. Image credits
Arrows in targets: https://flic.kr/p/5oTsVq
Hitchcock street scene: https://flic.kr/p/qNAnSx
All other images created by the authors.