# Tree testing

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{{Short description|Method of evaluating topic trees for findability}}
{{About|a technique used to evaluate the usability of a website|the personality test also known as tree test|Baum test}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2018}}
'''Tree testing''' is a [usability](/source/usability) technique for evaluating the [findability](/source/findability) of topics in a [website](/source/website).<ref name=TsT1>{{Cite book |last=Hanington |first=Bruce |title=Universal Methods of Design, Expanded and Revised |last2=Martin |first2=Bella |publisher=Rockport Publishers |year=2019 |isbn=9781631597497 |location=Beverly, MA |pages=232 |language=en}}</ref> It is also known as '''[reverse card sorting](/source/card_sorting)''' or '''card-based classification'''.<ref name="CBC article" >{{cite web
  |title=Card-Based Classification Evaluation
  |url=http://boxesandarrows.com/card-based-classification-evaluation/
  |author=Donna Spencer
  |date=April 2003
}}</ref>

A large website is typically organized into a hierarchy (a "tree") of topics and subtopics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chesnut |first=Donald |title=UX for dummies |last2=Nichols |first2=Kevin |publisher=[Wiley](/source/Wiley_(publisher)) |year=2014 |isbn=9781118852781 |location=West Sussex, England |pages=141 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Palade |first=Vasile |title=Knowledge-based Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems. |publisher=Springer Nature |year=2003 |isbn=978-3-540-23318-3 |pages=250 |language=English}}</ref> Tree testing provides a way to measure how well users can find items in this hierarchy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Elleithy |first=Khaled |title=Advances in Systems, Computing Sciences and Software Engineering : Proceedings of SCSS 2005 |last2=Sobh |first2=Tarek |publisher=Springer |year=2006 |isbn=9781402052620 |location=Dordrecht |pages=232 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Paraguacu |first=Fabio |title=Intelligent tutoring systems : 6th International Conference, ITS 2002, Biarritz, France and San Sebastián, Spain, June 2-7, 2002 : proceedings |last2=Gouarderes |first2=Guy |last3=Cerri |first3=Stefano A. |publisher=Springer |year=2002 |isbn=978-3-540-43750-5 |location=Berlin; London |pages=743 |language=English}}</ref>

Unlike traditional [usability testing](/source/usability_testing), tree testing is not done on the website itself; instead, a simplified text version of the site structure is used.<ref name=TsT1 /> This ensures that the structure is evaluated in isolation, nullifying the effects of navigational aids, [visual design](/source/visual_design), and other factors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=DESAI |first=SANDEEP |title=Software Testing |last2=SRIVASTAVA |first2=ABHISHEK |publisher=Phi Learning |year=2016 |isbn=9788120352261 |pages=310 |language=en}}</ref>

== Basic method ==
In a typical tree test:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frick |first=Tim |title=Return on Engagement : Content Strategy and Web Design Techniques for Digital Marketing |last2=Eyler-Werve |first2=Kate |publisher=CRC Press |year=2014 |isbn=9781135012939 |location=Oxford |pages=78–87 |language=en}}</ref>

# The participant is given a "find it" task (e.g., "Look for men's belts under $25").<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharon |first=Tomer |title=Validating product ideas: through lean user research |last2=Gadbaw |first2=Benjamin |publisher=Rosenfeld Media |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4571-9077-3 |location=Brooklyn, NY |pages=275 |language=English}}</ref>
# They are shown a text list of the top-level topics of the website.
# They choose a heading, and are then shown a list of subtopics.
# 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).
# They do several tasks in this manner, starting each task back at the top of the tree.
# Once several participants have completed the test, the results are analyzed.

== Analyzing the results ==
The analysis typically tries to answer these questions:

* Could users successfully find particular items in the tree?
* Could they find those items directly, without having to backtrack?
* If they couldn't find items, where did they go astray?
* Could they choose between topics quickly, without having to think too much?
* Overall, which parts of the tree worked well, and which fell down?

== Tools ==
Tree testing was originally done on paper (typically using [index cards](/source/index_cards)), but can now also be conducted using specialized software.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Soares |first=Marcelo M. |title=Design, User Experience, and Usability: UX Research, Design, and Assessment |last2=Rosenzweig |first2=Elizabeth |last3=Marcus |first3=Aaron |publisher=Springer International Publishing AG |year=2022 |isbn=9783031058967 |location=Ch |pages=84 |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

Category:Usability
Category:Web design
Category:Software testing

{{website-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tree testing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_testing) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_testing?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.