Optimal Workshop
Treejack : Card sorting for IA development

Treejack

Information Architecture Validation Software

Take the guesswork out of information architecture with Treejack – the usability testing tool you can use to test your IA without visual distractions. Treejack helps you prove your site structure will work before you get into interface design.

Tree testing is a usability technique for evaluating the findability of topics in a website. It’s also known as ‘reverse card sorting’ or ‘card-based classification’. Tree testing is done on a simplified text version of your site structure – without the influence of navigation aids and visual design.

Sounds like what you're looking for?

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Easy as 1,2,3

“It is so fast and easy to set up that it's really crazy not to use it.” – Jason Holmes, American Greetings

Proving an Information Architecture

  • 1. Input your tree

    Input your tree

    Your “tree” is the site structure, your information architecture. Many times it is simplest to think of it as your sitemap.

  • 2. Set tasks

    Set tasks

    We're here to find out if people can achieve what they came for on your website or intranet. You just need to enter the common tasks for your site. For example “Find the latest and greatest mobile phones.”

  • 3. Recruit participants

    Recruit participants

    We give you a unique study link that you can email to your users and customers, tweet to the world, or give to a participant recruitment agent or consultant.

All systems are Go

“Oh yes. The downloads would definitely be under resources.” – Treejack study participant

User Centered Information Design

Your study participants will complete a tree testing activity online using their own computer. They will be asked to nominate where they'd expect to find the answers to a series of tasks using your information architecture.

Tree testing will help you understand:
  • Is my website or intranet content hierarchy well structured?
  • Is the taxonomy and navigation labelling appropriate?
  • Can people find what they're looking for?
Treejack activity example

Perhaps you'd like to try a Treejack tree test for yourself?

Try a demo as a participant

Beautifully Insightful Results

“Treejack is a great tool for testing out a multi-leveled IA. The results gave me an instant appreciation of what was working and what was not.” – Marlena Dijkstra, Independent Usability Consultant

Information Architecture Design & Validation

Treejack has the most comprehensive, beautiful and insightful tree test results available anywhere.

Task by task breakdown

The task statistics shows you how many participants found the correct answer, how directly they arrived at their chosen answer and how long they took to do it.

Example Treejack path by path breakdown.

Detailed path analysis

Affectionately known as the “pietree”, the detailed path analysis tool shows you where your participants went at each junction and where they all selected their final answers.

Example Treejack path analysis

Destinations table

The destinations table gives you an quick overview of your tree, highlighting the correct answers and the probable problem areas where people incorrectly “found the answer”.

Example Treejack destinations table

Downloadable Results

Your Treejack results are available for download including:

  • Analysis Spreadsheet: Based on the work of Dave O'Brien, Treejack's Analysis Spreadsheet allows you to perform advanced tree test analysis.
  • Full path information: If you need further clarification then dive into the results for individual participants and which paths they took.

Share your results

See the results as a UX researcher

Once the results are in you can share them with co-workers, clients or friends!