Class assignments

Tree testing assignment: test a council website's information architecture

Students map a local council site and test whether people can find things. 60 minutes, free, printable.

Use it in a class

At a glance

  • Time60 minutes
  • Work inPairs or groups of three
  • ToolTree test
  • Hand in2 items
For the teacher

Before class.

  • Pick a local council or other public service site with a deep menu. Each group takes a different section.
  • Remind the class that a tree test uses text only. There is no design to judge.

Tools used: Tree test, Card sort. Create a class, pick this assignment and students get the brief when they join, with a link to start.

Student brief

What students get.

Tree test a council website

60 minutes · Pairs or groups of three · Tool: Tree test

Goal

Check whether people can find things in a navigation, and learn how to write a task that tests the structure and not the wording.

Steps

  1. Open the tree test tool and copy the section's menu into the tree, down to three or four levels.
  2. Write five tasks. Each one is a real need, like "find out when your bins are collected", without using the menu words.
  3. Mark the correct answer for each task. Share the participant link and collect at least 10 responses.
  4. Close the study. For each task, read the success rate and where people went wrong first.
  5. Pick the two worst tasks. Write why people got lost and one change to the structure that would help.
  6. If time allows, change the tree, run the study again with a few classmates and compare.

What to hand in

  • The results link or a PNG of the results.
  • A short note on the two worst tasks: the wrong turn people took, the likely reason and the proposed change.

Questions to discuss

  1. Was any task too easy because its wording matched a menu label?
  2. Where did people go first, even when they were wrong? What does that tell you?
  3. When would you run a card sort before a tree test, and why?
  4. What would you do next if every task passed?

myuxacademy.com/tools/for-teachers/assignments/ · free class assignments

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How long does this take?

60 minutes in class, plus a few days for responses. It works best pairs or groups of three.

What do students hand in?

The results link or a PNG of the results. A short note on the two worst tasks: the wrong turn people took, the likely reason and the proposed change.

Do students need an account?

Not to take part in a study. To build one and share it, the tree test tool asks for a free email log-in. If you set up a class, students log in to join it so you can see their studies.

More assignments: Card sort a website navigation, Five-second test of two landing pages, Preference test of two app screens. See all six.