How can you present the results of a tree testing session to stakeholders?

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before you dive into the details of your tree testing data, you should remind your stakeholders of the purpose and scope of your test. What were the main questions or hypotheses you wanted to answer? How did you select your tasks, participants, and tree structure? What metrics did you use to measure the performance and satisfaction of your users? By defining your goals and metrics upfront, you can set the context and expectations for your presentation, and highlight the relevance and validity of your results.

2 Summarize your key findings

Next, you should provide a high-level overview of your key findings from your tree testing session. You can use charts, graphs, or tables to visualize your data and show the trends and patterns across your tasks and participants. For example, you can show the average success rate, time, and directness for each task, or compare the results by different segments of your users, such as age, gender, or location. You can also use color coding, icons, or labels to indicate which tasks performed well or poorly, and which ones need further investigation or improvement.

3 Explain your insights and recommendations

After you have summarized your key findings, you should explain the insights and recommendations that you derived from your data. You should focus on the most important or surprising outcomes, and provide evidence and examples to support your claims. For example, you can show how users navigated through your tree, where they got stuck or confused, and what feedback they gave. You can also use quotes, screenshots, or videos to illustrate your points and make them more engaging. You should also suggest concrete actions or changes that can improve your IA, such as renaming, reordering, or adding categories or subcategories.

4 Address your limitations and challenges

While you want to showcase the value and benefits of your tree testing session, you should also be honest and transparent about the limitations and challenges that you faced. You should acknowledge any potential biases, errors, or gaps in your data, and explain how they may affect your findings and conclusions. You should also mention any difficulties or obstacles that you encountered during your test, such as technical issues, low response rate, or unclear instructions. By addressing your limitations and challenges, you can demonstrate your credibility and professionalism, and invite feedback and suggestions from your stakeholders.

5 Align with your business objectives and user needs

Finally, you should connect your tree testing results with your business objectives and user needs. You should show how your IA supports your strategic goals, such as increasing conversions, retention, or loyalty, and how it meets or exceeds your user expectations, such as ease of use, efficiency, or satisfaction. You should also highlight the positive impact and outcomes that your IA can bring to your organization and your customers, such as higher revenue, lower costs, or better reputation. By aligning with your business objectives and user needs, you can persuade your stakeholders to accept and implement your recommendations, and celebrate your achievements.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?