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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree testing</span></span>
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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about a technique used to evaluate the usability of a website. For the personality test also known as tree test, see <a href="Baum_test" title="Baum test">Baum test</a>.</div>
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<p><b>Tree testing</b> is a <a href="Usability" title="Usability">usability</a> technique for evaluating the <a href="Findability" title="Findability">findability</a> of topics in a <a href="Website" title="Website">website</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-TsT1_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-TsT1-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is also known as <b><a href="Card_sorting#Reverse_card_sorting" title="Card sorting">reverse card sorting</a></b> or <b>card-based classification</b>.<sup id="cite_ref-CBC_article_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-CBC_article-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>A large website is typically organized into a hierarchy (a "tree") of topics and subtopics.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Tree testing provides a way to measure how well users can find items in this hierarchy.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Unlike traditional <a href="Usability_testing" title="Usability testing">usability testing</a>, tree testing is not done on the website itself; instead, a simplified text version of the site structure is used.<sup id="cite_ref-TsT1_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-TsT1-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This ensures that the structure is evaluated in isolation, nullifying the effects of navigational aids, <a href="Visual_design" class="mw-redirect" title="Visual design">visual design</a>, and other factors.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Basic_method">Basic method</h2></div>
<p>In a typical tree test:<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<ol><li>The participant is given a "find it" task (e.g., "Look for men's belts under $25").<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li>
<li>They are shown a text list of the top-level topics of the website.</li>
<li>They choose a heading, and are then shown a list of subtopics.</li>
<li>They continue choosing (moving down through the tree, backtracking if necessary) until they find a topic that satisfies the task (or until they give up).</li>
<li>They do several tasks in this manner, starting each task back at the top of the tree.</li>
<li>Once several participants have completed the test, the results are analyzed.</li></ol>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Analyzing_the_results">Analyzing the results</h2></div>
<p>The analysis typically tries to answer these questions:
</p>
<ul><li>Could users successfully find particular items in the tree?</li>
<li>Could they find those items directly, without having to backtrack?</li>
<li>If they couldn't find items, where did they go astray?</li>
<li>Could they choose between topics quickly, without having to think too much?</li>
<li>Overall, which parts of the tree worked well, and which fell down?</li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Tools">Tools</h2></div>
<p>Tree testing was originally done on paper (typically using <a href="Index_cards" class="mw-redirect" title="Index cards">index cards</a>), but can now also be conducted using specialized software.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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