Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce (LECC) Navigation Redesign
In Spring 2024 as part of my Information Architecture & Content Strategy course, I worked in a team of three over the course of 5 weeks to redesign the information architecture of the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce website. Being part of this community, I visit this site regularly, and the navigation makes it difficult to find information easily.
During the 5 weeks, we conducted a content inventory and conduct multiple rounds of different user testing in order to come up with the final site map. I learned about the multitude of user tests we could conduct, as well as how we can use those results to inform us about how we can improve for each iteration.
Summary
Role
UX Researcher - Content Inventory, Card Sort, Information Architecture Testing, First-Click Testing
Methods: Personas, Content Inventory, Card Sort, Site Map, Information Architecture Testing, Wireframing, First-Click Testing
Tools: Figma, Optimal Workshop
Methods & Tools
Design Process
01
Define Scope
Our goal was to improve the site information architecture by removing redundant navigation and reorganizing the navigation so that relevant information is grouped together instead of scattered.The cluttered nature of the current site information and navigation makes it difficult for users to find items and information, so restructuring is necessary.
02
Define Personas
We created personas to better empathize with the range of people who would utilize the site. We identified three personas Melissa (Small Business Owner, 34), Veronica (Visitor, 26), and Ray (Resident, 50).
Melissa the Merchant
Melissa is a 34-year old small business owner living in the Lakeview area. She is very passionate about her new vegan ice cream business, which she currently operates out of her home. She is hoping to expand her business in the community and is looking for a way to register and advertise her ice cream shop in the community, gain exposure, and new customers. She enjoys meeting new people and loves to chat about anything ice cream-related!
Veronica the Visitor
Veronica is a 26-year old software developer who works remotely. She is visiting her friend who lives in Lakeview for the weekend and is trying to look for fun things to do. She loves music, shopping, and finding unique places to eat. In her free time, she likes reading at her local coffee shop. She would love to find some budget options as well as some options that are highly recommended by locals.
Ray the Resident
Ray is a 50-year old resident living in the Lakeview East community. He spends most of his time relaxing at home with his wife and working from home. Ray also loves to volunteer and spend time with the community. Many of his friends and children have left town, so Ray would love to find volunteer opportunities and community events near him to be able to give back to the community and also make some new friends along the way!
03
Content Inventory
I conducted a content inventory to find more information about each page, as well as where it is located in the navigation structure. I noted pages that were blank, any information placed in misleading areas, and the inconsistent application of navigation structure. To prep for the card sort, we consolidated the navigation items to fewer cards and created 8 categories.
04
Card Sort
I created a pilot so that we conduct the test during the class period. We used a hybrid sort and had a total of 6 participants. Based on the results, which showed scattered cards placed in 4+ categories, we realized that the categories and cards needed to be more definitive and descriptive.
Pilot
Round 1 had fewer categories, with 5 instead of 8, and we maintained a hybrid sort. We had a total of 5 participants, and the changes from the pilot showed improvement in the standardization grid, with a 10% increase in agreement of cards placed in categories across the board.
Before the next round, we also did a competitive analysis of neighboring Chamber of Commerce sites, including Lincoln Park and Lincoln Square / Ravenswood. We discovered that they use a Business Resources category in their navigation, so we implemented that for the next round.
Round 1
We had a total of 9 participants, and we added a “Community” category, which showed an improvement in results. Overall, there was an improvement in agreement of card placement.
Round 2
05
Information Architecture Testing
Using the treejack, we were able to focus on the secondary levels of navigation and gain further insight.
We had a total of 7 participants, with an average success rate of 71% for the tasks rates but a low success rate of 39%. Based on feedback received, as well as the results of the pilot, we proposed changes to the tasks itself to add clarity, as well as some navigational changes.
Pilot
We had a total of 5 participants, and we also added another task to allow the participants to first explore the tree structure before being asked to complete the tasks. There was an improved success rate of 88%, as well as an increased directness rate of 76%. For the next round, we renamed a few things to have consistent levels of organization.
Round 1
We had a total of 10 participants, and we had an improved success rate of 92%, but there was a decrease in the directness to 62%. We didn’t make any changes to the structure based on these results.
Round 2
06
Sitemap
We had multiple iterations of the site map, based on feedback from the treejacks. The final sitemap reduced the number of categories from 7, as seen on the original site, to 5. The “Community” category implemented 2 subcategories, “Lakeview East Guides” and “Wrigleyville”, based on the results of the treejack rounds. All the navigation items were renamed to be topic-based to have a consistent organization structure.
07
Wireframing
We developed wireframes that modeled tasks that potential users would do when visiting the site, which were also utilized in the first-click testing. The tasks shown in the wireframes were finding a restaurant in Lakeview East and finding resources for opening a new business.
08
First-Click Testing
We had 7 participants complete the testing. However, the tasks we had put in this round leaned more toward clicking on navigation rather than other places on the site, so we did another round where the tasks were improved.
Round 1
We had 6 participants complete the revised test. All participants completed both tasks successfully.
Round 2
Each round, we made a point of iterating navigation labels as needed to be clear and concise, which aided users in wayfinding and completing tasks. There was also no shortage of testing, which strengthened our results and structure for an improved site. Overall, the new proposed site navigation has removed many redundancies, created user-friendly navigation, and now has a consistent navigation structure.
Conclusion
Lessons Learned
Increased User Testing
Due to the number of rounds of testing and the small group size, we were unable to conduct usability testing for a larger number of users. Next time, I would be more proactive in recruiting participants or perhaps provide an incentive for participants to follow through on completing the tests.