User Experience Design User Experience Design Information Architecture & Navigation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the difference between 'open card sorting' and 'closed card sorting'?
- Open sorting allows unlimited cards; closed sorting has a fixed number
- In open sorting participants create their own groups; in closed sorting groups are predefined (Correct answer)
- Open sorting is done in public; closed sorting is done privately
- Open sorting uses digital tools; closed sorting uses physical cards
Correct answer: In open sorting participants create their own groups; in closed sorting groups are predefined
In open card sorting, participants create and name their own categories; in closed card sorting, categories are predefined and participants assign content to them.
Question 2: What is 'tree testing' used for in IA evaluation?
- Testing the visual appearance of a site's tree diagram
- Evaluating how easily users can find items within a proposed navigation structure (Correct answer)
- Testing the performance of database tree structures
- Evaluating the branching logic of a decision tree
Correct answer: Evaluating how easily users can find items within a proposed navigation structure
Tree testing evaluates the findability of topics in a website's navigation structure by having users locate items in a text-only hierarchy without visual design distractions.
Question 3: What is the 'Miller's Law' implication for navigation design?
- Navigation items should always be displayed in alphabetical order
- Menus should be limited to approximately 7 items to match working memory capacity (Correct answer)
- Each page should load within 7 seconds
- Navigation depth should never exceed 7 levels
Correct answer: Menus should be limited to approximately 7 items to match working memory capacity
Miller's Law states that the average person can hold about 7 (plus or minus 2) items in working memory at once, suggesting that navigation menus should be similarly limited.
Question 4: What is a 'mega menu' in web navigation?
- A navigation menu designed exclusively for mobile devices
- A large, multi-column dropdown that displays many links and categories at once (Correct answer)
- A menu that adapts based on user behavior
- A sticky menu that remains visible while scrolling
Correct answer: A large, multi-column dropdown that displays many links and categories at once
A mega menu is an expanded dropdown navigation panel that displays multiple levels of navigation options in a large, organized, multi-column layout.
Question 5: What is 'faceted navigation' commonly used for?
- Displaying a website's page hierarchy
- Allowing users to filter large content sets by multiple attributes simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Organizing single-page application routes
- Creating personalized navigation paths for logged-in users
Correct answer: Allowing users to filter large content sets by multiple attributes simultaneously
Faceted navigation lets users narrow down large content sets by applying multiple filters simultaneously, commonly used in e-commerce and content-rich sites.
Question 6: In IA, what does 'labeling' refer to?
- Adding ARIA labels for accessibility
- The words and terms chosen to represent categories, links, and navigation options (Correct answer)
- Tagging pages with metadata for SEO
- Adding version numbers to design files
Correct answer: The words and terms chosen to represent categories, links, and navigation options
Labeling in IA is the practice of selecting the right words and terms to represent information categories and navigation elements so users can understand and predict where they lead.
User Experience Design User Experience Design Information Architecture & Navigation 2
What is the difference between 'open card sorting' and 'closed card sorting'?