This webinar discusses how card sorting and tree testing can be used both individually and together to improve website navigation. Card sorting involves having users organize items into categories to understand their mental models. Tree testing evaluates how easy it is for users to locate items within a site's navigation structure. The webinar provides examples of online card sorting and tree testing studies. It demonstrates how card sorting results can be used to define site categories and menus, and how tree testing can then validate the navigation structure. Combining these methods ensures more reliable site navigation.

1. Webinar: Unlocking the Secrets of Great Site Navigation Online Card Sorting + Tree Testing July 13th, 2011

2. Webinar Overview Introductions & Goals What is Card Sorting? Why is it useful and poweful? How to run remote (online) CS research What is Tree Testing? Why is it useful and poweful? How to run remote (online) TT research The Benefits of Combining Both Methods Q&A

3. Introductions Ania Rodriguez Founder and CEO at Key Lime Interactive Alfonso de la Nuez Co-Founder, Co-CEO at UserZoom Kim Oslob Dtor. Client Services at UserZoom

4. 4 quick facts about UserZoom Leading SaaS company specializing in Online UX Research We help businesses create excellent user experiences Our software solution includes 8 different tools to run UX research Around for about 9 years, offices in Sunnyvale (CA), Cheshire (UK) and Barcelona (Spain)

6. Over 12 years of consulting experience testing Internet 500 websites and providing actionable results

7. Most consultants have Masters in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Industry Engineering or related field

8. Cross-Industry Expertise

9. Ability to scorecard against competition

10. Ability to suggest cross-industry recommendations to improve ease of use

11. Independent Third Party

12. Impartial with no-hidden agenda

13. Ability to work with business team and developers to “get everyone onboard”Expert Reviews

14. Webinar Goals The WHAT: Understand relationships between items and groups. Defining naming structures. Ensuring navigational structure is optimized. The WHY: Benefits of using each method together or independently. The HOW: Understand how to create and collect data in a short period of time using an online remote method.

15. Before we begin, let’s take a quick poll to get to know you better…

16. What is Card Sorting?

17. Typical scenario John is an Information Architect working on a redesign of a website. Part of it includes to clearly redefine the items under each menu. Internally they’ve not been able to agree with one optimal way to categorize information. So he wants to ensure the category labels that they’ve created are easy to understand for their customers and visitors” How does Card Sorting help?

18. Card Sorting: Definition and Benefits Card sorting is a method to gather insights about how items are categorized naturally in users’ mental model. There are two types: Closed Card Sort: Items and Categories are pre-defined Open Card Sort: Categories are not pre-defined; Users name the categories It is a useful and powerful to conduct this type of research when: Visitors to your site or application are having a hard time finding the right information Web analytics data shows that your participants are going in circles Convergence data is lower than desired

20. Distinctness – how different one cluster is from its closest neighborThe compactness of a cluster represents the minimum distance at which the cluster comes into existence. The horizontal axis of the dendrogram measures the distance between clusters. If a cluster contains only one observation, its compactness is 0. The distinctness of a cluster is the distance along the X-axis from the point at which it comes into existence to the point at which it is aggregated into a larger cluster. Compactness Node Node Distinctness Node

21. What an Online Card Sort looks like Participants organize and group items according to association Items are grouped under category names that make sense to participants to be located in

22. Card Sort Pilot Study Participants grouped brands, ordering info, account info, and savings into distinct groups. Floaters were detected indicating possible presence in two categories. At least one runt indicated lack of understanding of the association and/or meaning

23. Card Sort Study (Closed) Participants placed items into these distinct groups: Ink & Toner, Specials, Copy Print, My Account, and Customer Service. Floaters were detected indicating possible presence in two categories.

24. Example of How to Use Card Sort Results

25. Let’s take poll #2 now!

26. What is Tree Testing?

27. Typical scenario Prior to creating a prototype, John wants to ensure that customers will be able to navigate the new site structure successfully. With the stakeholders there are high expectations that the new design will increase purchasing conversion. This conversion is based on findability. How does Tree Testing help?

28. Why is it a useful and poweful research method Tree Testing allows you to visually test the navigation and findability of your site structure. Detects navigational issues early on prior to building a prototype or dynamic site.

29. What an Online Tree Testing looks like Participant locates where they would find and item in a site structure Participant selects items once found or navigates through a different path until found UserZoom calculates percentages of first, all attempts, success and error.

30. Tree Testing Pilot Study When asked to locate a mouse pad, only 42% of the participants were successful on first attempt. It took 54% of the participants multiple attempts to locate the mouse pad under Computers > Computer Accessories Ninety-Six participants were successful in total.

31. Tree Testing Pilot Study Common areas of error were Paper & Pads (26%) and Office Supplies (54%) Secondary areas of error were Ink & Toner (10%) and Copy & Print (6%)

32. Tree Testing Pilot Study When asked to locate a 3-ring binder, 58% of the participants were successful on first attempt. It took 38% of the participants multiple attempts to locate the 3-ring binder under Binders & Accessories > Non-View Binders Ninety-Six participants were successful in total.

33. Tree Testing Pilot Study Common areas of error were Paper & Pads (24%) and Copy & Print (10%) Secondary area of error was Copy & Print (10%)

34. Tree Testing Pilot Study Participants rated locating a 3-ring binder as slightly easier than a mouse pad. It took 20% more of the participants multiple attempts to locate a mouse pad. Locate Mouse Pads Locate 3- Ring Binder

35. The Benefits of Combining Both Methods

36. The Benefits of Combining Both Methods Define the groupings and menu categories from a Card Sort Define the site structure from the results of the Card Sort and validate through the Tree Test Ensure more reliable site navigation by combining the methods

37. Q&A

38. Please don’t go yet! Let’s take the final poll…

39. Thanks so much for your time! Check out our upcoming news and events at www.userzoom.com www.keylimeinteractive.com UserZoom (USA) 440 N. Wolfe Rd. Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Phone: +1 (408) 524 7445 Contact: Alfonso de la Nuez alfonso@userzoom.com Key Lime Interactive 1221 Brickell Avenue Miami FL 33131 Phone: 1 (305) 804 2930 Contact: Ania Rodriguez ania@keylimeinteractive.co