Throughout this course we've mentioned many times, that we need to understand our

users to properly create the information architecture of our website or app.

Well, a big way to know if we're succeeding or

not is to look at how succesful users are at completing important tasks.

So, in this video, we're gonna talk about how IA impacts the users ability

to work through the steps of a process and find the information they need.

Now, some website functions are ridiculously simple because of a focused

approach to information.

Why explain an entire process when you can drop the visitor

Right into the experience from the beginning.

Look at the simplicity of the Speed Test website.

They know the reason you're on the site is to do one thing,

check the speed of your Internet connection.

All you have to do when you arrive is hit the big Go button,

and the rest takes care of itself.

Another example of this is the Shazam app.

When you're listening to a song and you don't know the name, you bring up this app

and with one tap it tells you in seconds what the song is called and who sings it.

Both of these examples are cases where the interface and user experience are focused

on getting people started with a process, because the information is the goal.

How fast is my connection?

Or what is this song I'm listening to?

These are great examples of making the path to information as short and

as easy as possible.

Another way to shorten that path Information may be to offer them content

in a specific order.

I'm talking about grouping information sequentially.

Like when MailChimp provides support documents and information, and

the first category they list is called New to MailChimp?

Start here.

So when new users look within that content the information is sorted again, and

in order that follows the user's experience.

It begins with, before you start, walks the user through a logical path,

and ends with next steps, showing them the next logical place where they should go.

The lesson here is that when you can anticipate the order In which users will

need and look for

content, arranging it in that way will greatly improve their experience.

Plus, once they've found that solution, giving them the next logical

piece of content before they've even thought about it, keeps them engaged, and

on a path you can support.

But what if you've organized all your information and

tried to anticipate needs, but users are still having trouble?

In a case like this,

performing a usability test, can help you figure out where things are going wrong.

To perform a usability test,

you start by identifying a goal a user would normally try to complete.

On Netflix, for example, a common task is to find something to watch.

Or on the Bank of America app, it might be to check your account balance.

You give a test user a scenario and ask them to complete a task.

You watch what they do and where they go, and

if possible, ask them to think out loud, telling you

why they click one link instead of another, or why they chose a certain path.

By the end of a few tests, you should understand more about how the IA and

usability of your site has affected the user's ability to get things done.

For example, let's say you're a pediatrician's office in Santa Cruz,

California.

You've got a whole bunch of info on your website, but

people keep asking about how to call after hours.

Like when the office is closed, but they still need advice about their sick baby.

That falls under the category of info called urgent care.

So, you decide to post a link to details on your home page, but

to make sure people can find it you do a usability test.

So, you offer this scenario to a test user.

It's two in the morning and your baby is sick.

You wanna call and get advice from an after hours nurse.

So, go check our site and

look for the number to call, and then you watch them as they do it.

And maybe they go directly to the contact page,

but all they see are business hours and a contact form.

So, they go back to the homepage, and

after a little looking spot the urgent care link, and find the page they need.

The experience wasn't perfect, so you ask them why they chose their path.

You might discover that since the urgent care link wasn't noticeable,

they chose the next best thing.

And when that didn't work, they needed to look harder.

The takeaway here is that usability tests are better than making assumptions or

taking a guess as to why something isn't working.

When you're trying to organize information to help users complete tasks,

you have to ensure you're providing all the right signals in all the right places.

So, use tests like these,

to see how real people use your site to accomplish those important goals.

Ultimately, whether you get users to start a process immediately,

put information in a specific order, or use tests

to measure the effectiveness of your structure, success can come in many forms.

That success will hinge on your ability to anticipate how and

when users will need that information.