Tree Testing (Reverse Card Sorting)
Evaluating hierarchical category structure without visual interference.
The Specific Question
Can users find what they are looking for based purely on the labels and structure?
Visual design cannot save a broken architecture. Tree testing strips away the UI to test the skeleton.
Worked Example: The Bank Taxonomy
Task: "You want to find the interest rate for a new mortgage." Users start at the top-level categories and click down the tree until they think they've found it.
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| Direct Success | Found the correct node without backtracking. |
| Indirect Success | Found it, but went down wrong paths first. |
| Fail | Chose the wrong node or gave up. |
Common Mistakes
- Writing tasks that contain the exact words used in the tree labels (giveaway).