SNAP SHOT
Navigation is an unwieldy problem to solve. Below is a cheat sheet for how to start shaping your mental model to go into a research project around navigation. This is not an exhaustive document. Care to talk more about my past work or navigation? Let's get together, I'm always interested in hearing opinions and feedback.
LET'S SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE FIRST
Findability - Users can easily find content or functionality that they assume is present in a website
Mental model: User either has a hunch that the content or functionality exists on the site and goes into it looking
Discoverability - Users encounter new content or functionality that they were not aware of previously.
- Mental model: User happens upon or discovers something new without prior knowledge that it might exist on the site
...ALRIGHT WELL, HOW DOES NAVIGATION COME INTO PLAY, AND HOW CAN YOU TEST IT?
Navigation increases both findability and discoverability, or it should. Common ways to test or improve your navigation (which means you will increase the likelihood that a user will use your products) are:
Closed card sorting
Open card sorting
Tree testing
Usability testing
Interested in reading more? Check out NN/g's article around navigation.
Need a tool to get you started with research? Optimal Workshop is my favorite for some of the above mentioned methods.
...SO WHAT ARE YOU TESTING FOR WHEN TESTING NAVIGATION?
Overall you’re testing for the ease of finding and discovering information. You’ll want to make sure that the usability of the following elements is tested and proven.
Global navigation for consistency and persistency
Labels and content for recognition and comprehension
Redundancy (lack of)
Symbols and photographic content for recognition and comprehension
Content to make sure it matches mental models and expectations
Interested in reading more? I summarized a lot from: Smashing Magazine
...AND, HOW DO I MEASURE FOR SUCCESS?
- Simply put, can your user find what they're looking for?
- Time on task - how long does it take for a user to find the information that you've asked them to find or that they feel they need?
- Comprehension of labels/content - do the the labels that you're using for links and the content used to explain a product/feature make sense to the user?
- Confidence ratings - do users feel confident that they've found the right information?
- Search reliance - how often do users rely on search to find what they are looking for instead of using the other navigation elements on the page?
Need more information on this? Check out: MeasuringU's Navigation Metrics
...SO, THIS IS A LOT TO THINK ABOUT, WHERE TO START?
Brainstorm and then brainstorm some more.
Get ideas down on paper
Start sketching new navigation ideas
Talk to people around you and ask questions
How did this navigation come to be?
Where do they think a new feature might be
Now is a good time to learn how to wireframe
Make a project plan
By: Mallory Chacon, User Researcher