Loyal Blues Fellowship
Information Architecture
Information Architecture
Overview
The Loyal Blues Fellowship website was in need of a significant information architecture (IA) overhaul. This was a school project and our team was tasked with redesigning the sitemap to improve usability and navigation. Through a series of UX research methods, including card sorting and tree testing, we identified major structural issues that hindered users from finding essential content such as blues lessons, event details, and membership information. Our goal was to create an intuitive and user-friendly IA that enhanced the overall experience.
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Problem Statement
The original Loyal Blues Fellowship website suffered from:
Disorganization and clutter: Users struggled to navigate due to redundant pages, dead links, and a shallow, wide hierarchy.
Poor labeling and categorization: Users found it difficult to locate information on blues lessons and upcoming events.
Low task completion rates: A tree test showed that only 31% of users completed their tasks successfully, with some tasks having a 0% success rate.
These issues resulted in user frustration, longer task completion times, and an overall negative experience. The challenge was to restructure the site’s IA to improve navigation, clarity, and efficiency.
Disorganization and clutter: Users struggled to navigate due to redundant pages, dead links, and a shallow, wide hierarchy.
Poor labeling and categorization: Users found it difficult to locate information on blues lessons and upcoming events.
Low task completion rates: A tree test showed that only 31% of users completed their tasks successfully, with some tasks having a 0% success rate.
These issues resulted in user frustration, longer task completion times, and an overall negative experience. The challenge was to restructure the site’s IA to improve navigation, clarity, and efficiency.
Design Process
Research and User Testing
To diagnose IA problems, we conducted two types of studies: Card Sorting and Tree Testing.
Card Sorting
We conducted both open and closed card sorts to understand how users naturally categorized content and whether our proposed categories were intuitive.
Card Sorting
We conducted both open and closed card sorts to understand how users naturally categorized content and whether our proposed categories were intuitive.
Open Card Sort (20 participants):
In our open card sort, participants grouped album reviews, book reviews, and band reviews consistently, showing a clear mental model for "Reviews." Membership-related cards (e.g., membership costs, benefits, application forms) were frequently grouped together. There were also some confusing labels and outliers. We realized that these cards were either confusing in their labeling or belong on a different level of architecture than the rest.
In our open card sort, participants grouped album reviews, book reviews, and band reviews consistently, showing a clear mental model for "Reviews." Membership-related cards (e.g., membership costs, benefits, application forms) were frequently grouped together. There were also some confusing labels and outliers. We realized that these cards were either confusing in their labeling or belong on a different level of architecture than the rest.
Closed Card Sort (20 participants):
We refined category labels based on user input, ensuring clearer organization and easier navigation. Previously difficult-to-place cards became more uniform, with related items like review cards grouped under parent categories. We also renamed unclear labels, such as “Learning the Blues” and “Fellowship Bylaws,” for better clarity. Key improvements included: renaming vague cards like "Blues 101" to make the Lessons category clearer, rewording Rules and Regulations for better understanding, addressing confusion around Blues in the Schools Events, as users were unsure if they belonged under "Events" or "Blues in the Schools," and bridging categories, such as linking Blues in the Schools Events under both sections to improve overall categorization.
We refined category labels based on user input, ensuring clearer organization and easier navigation. Previously difficult-to-place cards became more uniform, with related items like review cards grouped under parent categories. We also renamed unclear labels, such as “Learning the Blues” and “Fellowship Bylaws,” for better clarity. Key improvements included: renaming vague cards like "Blues 101" to make the Lessons category clearer, rewording Rules and Regulations for better understanding, addressing confusion around Blues in the Schools Events, as users were unsure if they belonged under "Events" or "Blues in the Schools," and bridging categories, such as linking Blues in the Schools Events under both sections to improve overall categorization.
Tree Testing
First Round Results (21 Participants)
The initial tree test used the current Loyal Blues website's information architecture (IA) to assess how easily users could find key information. Participants were tasked with finding blues lessons and locating an upcoming event (Frankfurt Blues Festival). The results highlighted severe navigation issues: the overall success rate was 31%, and the directness rate was 40%, indicating that users often took incorrect paths before finding—or failing to find—the correct page. Completion times were long, signalling frustration and difficulty understanding the IA.
Task 1: Finding Blues Lessons
Only 2 of 21 participants (10%) succeeded. Users mistakenly assumed "Blues in the Schools" contained lessons, and many expected lessons to be under "Jam Nights," which was incorrect.
Task 2: Finding the Frankfurt Blues Festival
No participants succeeded. 95% clicked on "Events," assuming festivals would be listed there, but the correct path was under "Home" and buried in a sidebar, which users did not expect.
The initial tree test used the current Loyal Blues website's information architecture (IA) to assess how easily users could find key information. Participants were tasked with finding blues lessons and locating an upcoming event (Frankfurt Blues Festival). The results highlighted severe navigation issues: the overall success rate was 31%, and the directness rate was 40%, indicating that users often took incorrect paths before finding—or failing to find—the correct page. Completion times were long, signalling frustration and difficulty understanding the IA.
Task 1: Finding Blues Lessons
Only 2 of 21 participants (10%) succeeded. Users mistakenly assumed "Blues in the Schools" contained lessons, and many expected lessons to be under "Jam Nights," which was incorrect.
Task 2: Finding the Frankfurt Blues Festival
No participants succeeded. 95% clicked on "Events," assuming festivals would be listed there, but the correct path was under "Home" and buried in a sidebar, which users did not expect.
Second Round Results (20 Participants)
After restructuring the IA, we conducted a second tree test to assess improvements. The results showed a significant boost in usability: the overall success rate increased from 31% to 88%, and the directness rate jumped from 40% to 80%, indicating users followed the correct path more often. Task completion times decreased, suggesting easier navigation.
Task 1: Finding Blues Lessons
Saw a success rate of 85% (up from 10%), with users confidently selecting "Learning the Blues" due to improved labeling, without needing to backtrack.
Task 2: Finding the Frankfurt Blues Festival
Had a success rate of 88% (up from 0%), with 80% of participants finding the correct path on the first click and no one misclicking into the wrong categories.
After restructuring the IA, we conducted a second tree test to assess improvements. The results showed a significant boost in usability: the overall success rate increased from 31% to 88%, and the directness rate jumped from 40% to 80%, indicating users followed the correct path more often. Task completion times decreased, suggesting easier navigation.
Task 1: Finding Blues Lessons
Saw a success rate of 85% (up from 10%), with users confidently selecting "Learning the Blues" due to improved labeling, without needing to backtrack.
Task 2: Finding the Frankfurt Blues Festival
Had a success rate of 88% (up from 0%), with 80% of participants finding the correct path on the first click and no one misclicking into the wrong categories.
Sitemap and Redesign
After conducting our research with two card sorts and two tree tests, our group made a sitemap and put together some wireframes for an improved site. The original website was messy, extremely disorganized and difficult to navigate. We wanted to create a sitemap that was simple and straightforward.
Wireframes
Outcome
The new IA significantly improved navigation and task completion rates, proving its effectiveness.
Key results:
Key results:
- More organized site structure: increased depth of hierarchy by combining related content together so the site is not only one level
- Clearer categorization and labels: Lessons, Membership, and Reviews were easily recognized
- Better navigation systems: global navigation (top-level menu with dropdowns for all pages) and breadcrumbs for easier backtracking
- Added search features: filtering (like the events by date, type, and location) and predictive suggestions
Reflection
What I Learned:
- User research was critical: Card sorting and tree testing directly informed our redesign.
- Incremental testing refined the IA: The drastic improvement in success rates validated our approach.
- Clearer labels improved user comprehension.
Challenges
- Balancing depth and simplicity: A deeper hierarchy helped organization, but we must ensure it doesn’t become too complex.
- Further improving search ability: Implementing synonym rings and crowdsourced tagging could enhance search results.
- Continuous user feedback: Future usability tests will ensure long-term effectiveness.
Final Thoughts
By applying UX research methods and iterative testing, we transformed a cluttered, confusing website into an intuitive and user-friendly experience. This case study highlights the power of data-driven IA improvements in enhancing usability and accessibility.