How to setup your Tree Test

Before you begin

As mentioned in the tree testing introduction before you setup your tree test project you'll want to have a few things sorted out.

1. The Website navigation structure
2. A list of tasks to test

Determining and Writing your tasks

Well written tasks are incredibly important to getting good results in your tree test. A few guidelines to follow:

1. Do not test every menu navigation item - focus on 15-20 tasks per test. Focus the test on the key goals for the users. Adding too many tasks will tire your users and they may not complete your test.
2. Test suspected problem areas - These could have been realized in a card sorting activity, or by problems in your live website.
3. Be careful not to prime - When writing tasks be careful not to use terms that give away the answer. Sometimes called priming, this can be avoided by describing a scenario and the users motivation. Write the task in your users language, not internal jargon.

Create your tree test in Proven by Users

1. From the projects page click “New Project*
2. A dialog will appear to choose the test type. Pick Tree Test
3. Adjust your project settings, and branding as needed.
4. In the Tree Test section, under the “Tree Structure“ tab, add your navigation structure using tabs to indent each level.
5. Next, under the Tasks tab, add the specific tasks you want the participants to do and choose the correct answer.
6. (optional) Add a survey section to gather more information about your participants
7. (optional) Add a message section to greet or thank your participants
8. Preview your test to be certain that you are providing enough instructions to be clear to your participants.
9. Make your test live and e-mail the URL to your participants.
10. That's it! Sit back and wait for the results!