How can you categorize information to improve website architecture?

This is a technique that can be used directly to users and get their perspective. Rather than we categorizing the architecture, we allow users to categorize and add elements on each groups. Through this we will get clarity on how they are thinking and by implementing the same, we can make users achieve their goals faster. Open and closed card sorting are the 2 types in this. In open, we allow users to categorize information and name it. In closed, we have already named some categories. We allow users to take the information and place it under relevant headings they feel.

Card sorting is a user research technique that helps you understand how people categorize and group information. In the context of website design, it is a valuable method to design an information architecture (structure and navigation) that aligns with how your users think. Open Card Sort: Participants are given a set of cards, each with a piece of content or a topic. They are asked to group the cards into categories that make sense to them. Closed Card Sort: Participants are given the same set of cards as in the open card sort. However, predefined categories are provided in this method. Participants are asked to sort the cards into the existing categories.

In my experience, when it comes to improving website architecture through information categorization, consider employing advanced techniques like cognitive walkthroughs. These involve walking through your website as if you were a user and evaluating how easily you can find information. Additionally, explore user feedback and analytics to gain insights into how visitors naturally categorize content. This data-driven approach can help refine your website's organization, ensuring it aligns with user expectations and behavior, ultimately leading to a more intuitive and user-friendly structure.

It’s like playing a match game — you want to see which pieces of content your users naturally group together. This method gives you direct insight into their thought processes.

In my experience, it’s about grouping individual contents into the category they best fit into. With open, closed or even the hybrid card sorting method, what users are doing is simply matching different cards to specific categories. This gives a clear perspective as to where users expect certain contents.

The tree test evaluates the hierarchical structure of information without visual cues. Analyze navigability and possible problems. Use tools like Treejack or UserZoom for online or in-person testing, adjusting the structure based on the results.

Tree testing is a method to evaluate website navigation and information hierarchy. In this process, participants are given a text-based structure of the website (like a tree diagram) and are asked to locate specific items or complete tasks. This helps assess the effectiveness of the website's organization and labeling. By observing how easily users find information in the tree structure, designers can identify and refine the website's navigation to enhance overall usability and user experience.

Tree testing is a great way of managing the information structure of a website. Often done after card sorting, it’s a simple user test that evaluates how easy information is to find.

On another occasion, while working on an educational web portal, post-initial design phase, I assigned my team to conduct tree testing. We had developed what we thought at the moment was a logical structure, but needed to validate it. Each team member was tasked with setting up tree tests for different sections of the site. The results highlighted several areas where users were getting lost, especially in finding specific courses. Based on these findings, we made significant adjustments, such as renaming some categories and reorganizing others, which greatly improved user navigation and course enrollment rates.

This is your test drive for the website structure. You’ve sorted your cards; now see if users can find their way through the branches without getting lost in the leaves.

Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have their place, but the key is to blend them based on our users' real behaviors. Start with a top-down to map out the big picture based on our strategy, but then dive into bottom-up to refine it with actual user data and content analysis. It's like sketching out a map and then filling in the details based on the terrain you actually see. Always circle back with user testing to make sure we're on track. This way, we're balancing our goals with what our users genuinely need, making the experience both intuitive and strategic.

Top-down starts big and gets specific; bottom-up begins with details and builds up. Top-down offers clear structure, while bottom-up allows flexibility. Combining both works best for effective information organization.

Top-down or bottom-up approach, either is fine as long as the end user is able to find what they are looking for in 3 clicks or less.

With top-down, you’re the tour guide, setting the main paths. Bottom-up is like crowd-sourcing the map, building based on user expectations and content specifics.

Imagine two triangles, one with the tip pointing up (1) and the other down (2). Either (1) the empirical path by gathering information and consolidating/galvanize each step till you reach the top, the final insight/plan. Or (2), starting with an idea, a single immaterial starting point from which you work your way down to the more hands-on, material end-point.

Categorization principles are crucial for organizing information effectively. Consistency and clear labels are key, ensuring users can quickly find relevant items. Designing for easy scanning and progressive disclosure prevents information overload, creating an intuitive and user-friendly experience.

Categorizing information is imperative for effective website architecture. It enhances user experience by making content easily navigable, improving searchability, and aiding in information retrieval. Clear categorization helps users understand the site's structure, leading to increased usability and satisfaction. Additionally, it positively impacts SEO, making content more discoverable for search engines. Overall, thoughtful categorization is fundamental for creating an organized, user-friendly, and efficient website.

La catégorisation des informations sur un site internet est un aspect crucial pour améliorer l'expérience utilisateur, la navigabilité et l'efficacité du site.

Chunking information into smaller, relatable groups makes it easier for the user to find what they are looking for when scanning the interface as well as recall it faster next time. This is especially important when designing mobile UI as screen real estate is limited. Make sure the user has access to the most immediately relevant information first. If there is a lot of numerical data, think of a way to present it in a visually relatable way to the user.

User-Centered Categories: Organize information based on how users naturally think about and search for content. Consider conducting user interviews, surveys, or usability testing to understand user mental models. Topical Hierarchy: Establish a clear hierarchy of topics, with broader categories at the top and more specific subcategories below. Ensure that the hierarchy reflects the importance and relevance of content.

Once you have defined your User Personas and Customer Journey for each persona, it will give you a framework for organising content blocks. A typical journey starts from Awareness and goes through Interaction - Experience - Ownership/Usage - End of Life/Transfer. Delve deeper into each block to look at long-term strategy, highlight blocks that will require frequent updates, those that are indexed for search, and those that are connected to your campaigns and conversion metrics. There is no one tool that can do this all, but a combination of tools and a close watch on visitor behavior and conversions can help you prune your content strategy for effectiveness, performance and positive or negative reinforcements.

The technique I follow is to design in such a way that it tells a story. Everyone loves stories, especially if they are short. In the current age, the average attention span of an individual is so small, so it's best to tell that story as concisely as possible by including all necessary information in simple and understandable language.

Always start with the purpose of the site (marketing sites usually drive sign-ups, app installs, or sales lead gen). Next, inventory the personas of people that visit the site or you are trying to bring to the site. Once you have the personas and jobs to be done, you can find seams where there might be overlap vs differentiated messaging required. Try to organize these steps into the optimized tree.

Make sure that the focus stays on the information the user is looking for. Try not to distract the user much with unnecessary content or graphics or animations.

A good way to categorize the architecture of a website is by placing the target audience at the center of the issue, using the empathy map, and understanding who my ideal customer profile is. One suggestion is to apply a sequence of various techniques: Card sorting - First, the user classifies content items into categories that make sense to them. With the cards categorized, perform a tree test to assess behavior regarding the architecture to be built. After synthesizing the data, it's important to apply the cohort analysis technique to obtain user behavioral feedback during site use.