"Plans are nothing; planning is everything." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
If we have a site structure to test and some tasks in mind, it’s tempting just to dive right in – set up the test, email a bunch of users, and watch the results come in. Easy, right?
However, we’ll get a lot more out of our testing if we take a step back and ask ourselves some basic questions, such as:
How we answer these questions can change how we run our test and analyze our results.
Baselining, testing new/revised trees, comparing alternatives, etc.
2 rounds is standard, but even 1 round will improve our site.
Existing tree vs. new tree(s)? The whole tree or just part of it?
User groups, recruiting, and incentives
We can start as soon as we have a site tree roughed out
Treejack, UserZoom, paper, and other tools
Online using a browser vs. in person
Working with a team vs. going solo
Most problems can be prevented, but a safety net is always wise
A simple template to keep us on track