Tree creation should be based on not only our content, but our knowledge of our users, our research of their mental models, and our testing of the existing site structure. |
We should consider whether the classic grouping schemes (by task, by audience, by topic, and so on) suit our needs for the top levels of our site. |
We should consider whether our structure is best designed as wide/shallow or narrow/deep. |
When writing headings, speak the user's language, be specific, and ensure that headings are clear and distinguishable. |
We should create several candidate trees (ideally team-sourced) so we can pick the strongest candidates to test against each other (and the existing structure). |
We should make sure that our tasks (described in Chapter ~) target the differences between our trees, so our results can help us pick the winning design. |
Next: Chapter 6 - Preparing a tree for testing