Information architecture testing brief
Evaluate whether representative users can find important information through the proposed structure and labels.
UX research and audits · 45 min · Advanced · 28 questions
Test model
Which information-architecture choices are uncertain?
What decision will follow each test result?
Which high-value retrieval tasks should the test include?
Which frequent retrieval tasks should the test include?
Which high-risk retrieval tasks should the test include?
Which commonly confused destinations should the test include?
Scenario wording
Does each scenario avoid repeating a navigation label?
Does each scenario avoid product jargon?
Participants
Which user roles should participate in the navigation test?
How familiar should participants be with the product?
Which terminology should participants understand?
Which access needs must the test support?
How many participants does the test need?
Test measures
What will participants use during the test?
Behavior measures
What counts as direct success?
What counts as indirect success?
What counts as task failure?
How will backtracking be measured?
How will task time be measured?
Choice and confidence
Which first choice did participants make?
How confident were participants in their choice?
When does a task count as abandoned?
How will we combine test results?
Decision thresholds
What result will trigger a label change?
What result will trigger regrouping?
What result will trigger a cross-link?
What result requires deeper research?
What result is good enough to accept the structure?
How to use this brief
Use this brief as a bank of questions for the conversation. Choose what is relevant, mark covered questions as you go, and skip anything that has already been answered.
Use this brief when...
Use when you need to evaluate whether representative users can find important information through the proposed structure and labels.
Best used as: Research plan
- Category
- UX research and audits
- Discussion time
- 45 minutes
- Depth
- Advanced
- Last updated
- Jul 21, 2026
- Scope
- Design briefs
- Best used as
- Research plan
- Design roles
- UX researcherContent designerUX/UI designer
- Audience
- UX and UI designersProduct designersProduct managersDesign leads
- Platforms
- ResearchWebMobile
- Company type
- B2BB2CEnterprise
- Product stage
- DiscoveryGrowthMature product
- Tags
- ux-research-and-auditsinformation-architecture-testingresearch-and-evaluationtree-testingnavigation-validation