Workhuman cloud navigation system
The business tasked the Product design team to review the current navigation of all existing applications due to the growing suit of products under the Workhuman umbrella. The business wanted the team to propose an optimal way to merge the current suit of products with the upcoming ones into a unified system with clear navigation pattern that will allow our costumers to transition with ease between the different apps in the cloud.
Development methodology Agile
Team crossfuctional
2 UX designers
3 stakeholders.
Distributed environment. Stakeholders located in Boston. UX designers located in Dublin.
Work.
Research method
Closed card sorting
As a first step we reviewed the site-map and found duplication or similar pages. We decided to carry out an open card sorting using Optimal workshop. This tool allowed us to reach out to 220 participants. the greater the number of participants the higher the accuracy standard of the test.
A total number of 30 cards were sorted during the test into approx 7 categories.
Data synthesis
Once the study was concluded we identified a number of repeating categories by using similarity matrix and dendrograms.
Treejack
To validate the accuracy of the initial card sorting and the brand new categories we created a treejack test. This test shows the user a diagram with the links without any description and we came up with 3 different test based on the primary roles that our users have in the application
End result.
The outcome of this project ended up being an overarching navigation system that split the product into a number of key areas. These key areas are the different offerings that Workhuman offers their clients as part of the Workhuman cloud.
Through this project, we identified key areas of our product that weren’t easily accessible like part of our e-commerece area and the managerial area. We rearranged them to take a more centre place and were able to increase traffic into them. We were also able to remove duplications of pages and what we will need to clear out.
Main Information architecture proposal after user research analysis - Including admin section
Main Information architecture proposal after user research analysis - no admin section
Reflections.
In the scope of this project, I learned how to use Optimal workshop tool to help with a big research project. I learned that card sorting and Treejack tests together are a better approach toward information architecture project. When people are getting a card with a brief explanation of the card they arranged the site map in one way but failed to find the same links when the test was reversed. Terminology can have a massive effect on findability of items and how important it is to make sure we are using the correct terms for our target audience.
If I was to do the project all over again I would kick-off with a treejack to get a base line for user’s understanding of the current set of terminology and where do they presume these items live in the product and then do an open card sorting. As this would have given me the “what people do” over the “what people think”.
Card sorting comparison of internal and client results
Project timeline
Research report snippet
Snippet from research report
Research report snippet