Information Architecture 101:Task Testing

Selma ZafarSenior User Experience Designer

• 12 years experience in creating compelling, usable and innovate experiences

• Strategy, user research, IA, wireframes, usability testing

• Recent ThoughtFarmer Intranet clients:• MD Physicians• Fokker Services, Aerostructures, Aircraft

Services• Global Container Terminals• YVR

Quick Review | Card Sorting

Steps in a Card Sort

1. Decide what you want to learn2. Select the type of Card Sort (open vs closed)3. Choose Suitable Content4. Choose and invite participants5. Conduct the sort (online or in-person)6. Analyze Results7. Integrate results

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Task Based Testing

What it is good for

1. Improving the organization of your intranet2. Improving top down navigation3. Improving your structure terminology4. Isolating structure itself5. Focuses on content - No visual design; page

layout, content design6. Getting user data early 7. Cheap and quick to try out ideas

What it is not

1. Not testing other navigation routes2. Not testing feature links, see also links3. Not testing search4. Not testing page layout5. Not testing visual design6. Not a substitute for real-site user testing –

usability testing with visual design etc7. Not a replacement for card sorting

Define Your Goals

Selecting Tasks

General - applicable to all employees

e.g.• HR information• Corporate

Information• General manuals

Specific - Department- Project team

e.g.• Proposal• Design• Report

Writing Tasks

1. Use real scenarios to make task believable

2. Don’t use the name of the location of the information in the task.

3. Keep it simple and to the point – don’t embellish with a whole story.

4. Read the task out loud to someone first! If they don’t understand it, then rewrite it.

Task Example

Instead of:Find the expense reports.

Try:You have returned to the office after a business trip and have receipts to submit to be reimbursed. Where would you expect to find the information and templates on this process?

Selecting Participants

Conducting Task Testing

Online Evaluation Tool

Optimal Workshop: TreeJack (www.optimalworkshop.com)

Presents Tasks & Content Tree

Analysis

Things to Look Out For…

1. 75 – 80% Task Success Rate2. What is the speed to complete the task

versus the success?3. How direct was the route to find the

information?4. Where did people go first? Was there a

pattern in the click paths?

Integrate Results

Card Sorting

Selma Zafarselma@openroad.catwitter.com/selmaz