Tree testing


Tree testing is a usability technique for evaluating the findability of topics in a website. It is also known as reverse card sorting or card-based classification.
A large website is typically organized into a hierarchy 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. This ensures that the structure is evaluated in isolation, nullifying the effects of navigational aids, visual design, and other factors.

Basic method

In a typical tree test:
  1. The participant is given a "find it" task.
  2. They are shown a text list of the top-level topics of the website.
  3. They choose a heading, and are then shown a list of subtopics.
  4. They continue choosing until they find a topic that satisfies the task.
  5. They do several tasks in this manner, starting each task back at the top of the tree.
  6. Once several participants have completed the test, the results are analyzed.

    Analyzing the results

The analysis typically tries to answer these questions:
Tree testing was originally done on paper, but can now also be conducted using specialized software.