Tree testing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:09, 16 September 2009

Latest revision as of 07:31, 30 July 2025

(48 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown)

Line 1:

{{Short description|Method of evaluating topic trees for findability}}

'''Tree testing''' is a [[usability]] technique for evaluating the [[findability]] of topics in a website.

{{About|a technique used to evaluate the usability of a website|the personality test also known as tree test|Baum test}}

{{more citations needed|date=August 2018}}

'''Tree testing''' is a [[usability]] technique for evaluating the [[findability]] of topics in a [[website]].<ref name=TsT1>{{Cite book |last=Hanington |first=Bruce |title=Universal Methods of Design, Expanded and Revised |last2=Martin |first2=Bella |publisher=Rockport Publishers |year=2019 |isbn=9781631597497 |___location=Beverly, MA |pages=232 |language=en}}</ref> It is also known as '''[[card sorting#Reverse card sorting|reverse card sorting]]''' or '''card-based classification'''.<ref name="CBC article" >{{cite web

|title=Card-Based Classification Evaluation

|url=http://boxesandarrows.com/card-based-classification-evaluation/

|author=Donna Spencer

|date=April 2003

}}</ref>

A large website is typically organized into a hierarchy (a "tree") of topics and subtopics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chesnut |first=Donald |title=UX for dummies |last2=Nichols |first2=Kevin |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |year=2014 |isbn=9781118852781 |___location=West Sussex, England |pages=141 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Palade |first=Vasile |title=Knowledge-based Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems. |publisher=Springer Nature |year=2003 |isbn=978-3-540-23318-3 |pages=250 |language=English}}</ref> Tree testing provides a way to measure how well users can find items in this hierarchy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Elleithy |first=Khaled |title=Advances in Systems, Computing Sciences and Software Engineering : Proceedings of SCSS 2005 |last2=Sobh |first2=Tarek |publisher=Springer |year=2006 |isbn=9781402052620 |___location=Dordrecht |pages=232 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Paraguacu |first=Fabio |title=Intelligent tutoring systems : 6th International Conference, ITS 2002, Biarritz, France and San Sebastián, Spain, June 2-7, 2002 : proceedings |last2=Gouarderes |first2=Guy |last3=Cerri |first3=Stefano A. |publisher=Springer |year=2002 |isbn=978-3-540-43750-5 |___location=Berlin; London |pages=743 |language=English}}</ref>

A large website is typically organized into a hierarchy (a "tree") of topics and subtopics. Tree testing provides a way to measure how well users can find items in this hierarchy.

Unlike traditional [[usability testing]], tree testing is not done on the website itself; instead, a simplified text version of the site structure is used.<ref name=TsT1 /> This ensures that the structure is being evaluated in isolation, nullifying the effects of navigational aids, [[visual design]], and other factors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=DESAI |first=SANDEEP |title=Software Testing |last2=SRIVASTAVA |first2=ABHISHEK |publisher=Phi Learning |year=2016 |isbn=9788120352261 |pages=310 |language=en}}</ref>

== Basic method ==

In a typical tree test:

In a typical tree test:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frick |first=Tim |title=Return on Engagement : Content Strategy and Web Design Techniques for Digital Marketing |last2=Eyler-Werve |first2=Kate |publisher=CRC Press |year=2014 |isbn=9781135012939 |___location=Oxford |pages=78–87 |language=en}}</ref>

# The participant is given a "find it" task (e.g. "Look for brown belts under $25").

# The participant is given a "find it" task (e.g., "Look for men's belts under $25").<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharon |first=Tomer |title=Validating product ideas: through lean user research |last2=Gadbaw |first2=Benjamin |publisher=Rosenfeld Media |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4571-9077-3 |___location=Brooklyn, NY |pages=275 |language=English}}</ref>

# They are shown a text list of the top-level topics of the website.

# They choose a heading, and are then shown a list of subtopics.

# They continue choosing (moving down through the tree) - drilling down, backtracking if necessary –) until they find a topic that satisfies the task (or until they give up).

# TheThey participant doesdo several tasks in this manner, starting each task back at the top of the tree.

# Once several participants have completed the test, the results are analyzed for each task.

== Analyzing the results ==

The analysis typically tries to answer these questions:

* Could users successfully find particular items in the tree?

* Could they find those items directly, without having to backtrack?

Line 20 ⟶ 32:

* Overall, which parts of the tree worked well, and which fell down?

== Tools ==

Also known as '''reverse [[card sorting]]''' or '''card-based classification'''<ref name="CBC article" >{{cite web

Tree testing was originally done on paper (typically using [[index cards]]), but can now also be conducted using specialized software.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Soares |first=Marcelo M. |title=Design, User Experience, and Usability: UX Research, Design, and Assessment |last2=Rosenzweig |first2=Elizabeth |last3=Marcus |first3=Aaron |publisher=Springer International Publishing AG |year=2022 |isbn=9783031058967 |___location=Ch |pages=84 |language=en}}</ref>

|title=Card-Based Classification Evaluation

|url=http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_based_classification_evaluation

|author=Donna Spencer

|date=April 2003

}}</ref>, tree testing was originally done on paper (typically using [[index cards]]), but can now also be done using specialized software.

== References ==

{{reflist}}

<!--- Categories --->

[[Category:Usability]]

[[Category:Human-computer interaction]]

[[Category:Information architects|*Information architecture]]

[[Category:Web design]]

[[Category:TechnicalSoftware communicationtesting]]

[[Category:Information science]]

[[Category:Information technology]]

==External links==

* [http://www.optimalworkshop.com/treejack.htm Treejack, tree-testing software by Optimal Workshop]

* [http://www.c-inspector.com/index.php C–Inspector, tree-testing software by Steffen Schilb]

{{website-stub}}