We mentioned four basic IA elements above – organization, labeling, navigation, and search. In general, we tend to deal with the first two (as foundations) before the second two (which segue into UI design).
Because tree testing is only concerned with the first two elements (organization and labeling), it makes sense that tree testing should be done early in the design process, not so much later.
To get more specific, tree testing typically happens at two points early in the design of a website:
Let’s take a closer look at each of these phases and see exactly where tree testing fits in...
Next: The research phase