Case Study — True Value
Understanding Information Architecture
“Information Architecture is the way we choose to arrange the parts of something to make it understandable as a whole.” — Abby Covert
We all have preferences and ways to organize things on a personal level. I like to organize my closet by color and this way I can find items easily in the morning when I have to quickly decide what to wear that day. But some people may like to organize their closet by items such as long sleeves and shirt sleeves.
When it comes to websites where many users look at and search for things, information needs to be is clearly structured so that users understand where to look for, what to expect, and how to achieve their goals.
Understanding Information Architecture
True Value is a franchise base hardware retail that serves over 4,500 independent retail locations worldwide.
Having the True Value website as a case study, I examined how the website organizes and structures the navigation, and evaluated how it is effective for the current users. From there, I wanted to redesign to provide better user experience for the current and prospective users.
Types of Research
Here is a list of research I have done to analyze the information architecture of the True Value website.
- Heuristic Analysis by Abby Method
- Competitive & Comparative Feature Analysis
- User Flow
- Sitemap
- Card Sorting and Tree Testing
Heuristic Analysis
There are several systems to analyze heuristics. This time I used the Abby Method to evaluate the website based on 10 guidelines including findable, accessible, clear, communicative, useful, credible, controllable, valuable, learnable and delightful.
Competitive & Comparative Feature Analysis
I identified what other competitors are in the market and looked into their websites to asses their strengths and weakness, as well as True Value’s website. In this research, I decided to evaluate two competitors, the Home Depot and Ace Hardware, and one comparator Bed Bath and Beyond. The Home Depot is the largest in the hardware retail market. Ace Hardware, like True Value, is a franchise base hardware retail. Bed Bath and Beyond is not a direct competitor but it sells home goods products and shares similar customers who shop at a hardware store. Then compared ten features including Help, Search Bar, Store Finder, Feedback, Track Order etc.
User Flow
I created a user flow to visualize user steps through a set of processes.
Sitemap
I also created a diagram that shows how the content in the True Value’s website is related.
Card Sorting and Tree Testing
Lastly, as a group, we did Open & Closed Card Sorting to find out a mental model - how users interpret and categorize information.
Then, I conducted tree testing to assess if users can find certain products in the revised navigation system of the website.
What are the findings from the research?
Here are the major findings from the research above.
- There are random items categorized in the tertiary navigation, under Home & Cleaning, They didn’t seem to belong under the category and there should be a better location for these items.
- Users had a hard time putting Automotive and Workwear & Footwear in given categories including Resources, Specials, Building Supplies, Home and Outdoor
- “Resource” and “Specials” were too vague as group names. It needs to be more specific as “Project Resouce” and “Sale & Specials.”
- Users did not find a product that is in “Workwear & Footwear”
- Users did not find a product that is in “Plumbing”
Taking all insights I found through the research, I made a hi-fi prototype to see if it works in user testing.
Hi-fi Prototype
- Primary Navigation
I came up with a new navigation with new options - “All Departments” “Project Resource” and “Sale & Offers.” I decided to keep “All Departments” because it seemed to be the industry standard.
2. Secondary Navigation — All Departments
Under “All Departments,” I broke down secondary navigation into five categories and listed smaller categories sub secondary navigation.
3. Secondary Navigation — Project Resource
Under “Project Resource,” I broke down secondary navigation into 2 categories and listed smaller categories sub secondary navigation.
4.Secondary Navigation — Sale & Offers
Under “Sale & Offers,” I listed five categories.
Usability Testing
Using my new clickable Hi-fi mockup, I conducted to see how easily users find certain items under the new navigation. Here are the scenarios and asks.
#1
SCENARIO: You are planning to do some DIY projects for your new home. You have decided to purchase some workwear.
Task: Look for a place that you may find the products you want.
#2
SCENARIO: You are planning to give some updates to your home. You have decided to check out if the store in your neighborhood had some promotional offerings for your project.
Task: Look for a category that you may find your local store promotion.
#3
SCENARIO: You just moved into a new place and need to buy some small appliances such as a toaster and a coffee maker.
Task: Look for a place that you may find the products you want.
#4
SCENARIO: You need to fix some pipes in your house.
Task: Look for a place that you may find the products you need.
High-Level Observations and What’s Next?
Overall, my usability testing resulted in some success and minor issues. Even though users were able to complete the tasks, in some area I found the following issues
- Grouping issue — Users associate “Workware & footwear” as a project and wanted to find under “Outdoor” or “Project Resource”
- There should be multiple ways to find a product — Instead of going straight to find pipes under “Plumbing,” some users wanted to see “Project Recourse” first to see what item exactly you need to buy
- Labeling issue — Some items need multiple labels to be found under several categories. Users were able to find a coffee maker under “Small Appliances & Electronics,” some expressed that she/he would find it under “Kitchen & Bath.” Same with the Local Ad. Users were able to find Local Ad location, a user sad she/he would find it under “Sale.”
Next steps
Here are suggestions for the next steps
- Reorganize the primary navigation options. I kept “All Departments” because it seems like the industry standard. But does it mean it is actually working? Perhaps, there can be more options to breakdown the navigation for users to find things quickly.
- Conduct card sorting for some categories. This time, I was only able to do card sorting for the primary and secondary navigation. But I found grouping and labeling issues for items under secondary navigation. It is better to conduct card sorting for the tertiary level as well.
