This document discusses techniques for organizing user research findings, including card sorting, site maps, and flows. Card sorting involves grouping topics or items to gain insights into how information should be structured. Site maps show the hierarchical relationships between pages on a website. Flows document the steps and possible paths a user can take through a website or application. The document provides examples and explanations of each technique and prompts the reader to apply them to collected user research.

1. Sorting, Maps,
Flows
We’ve done user research.
!
We collected observations and information.
!
We may have found some insight (though we
always welcome more).
!
Now we start to organize it.

2. Sorting, Maps,
Flows
Any engineers? Mapmakers? Did you
come here from far away?
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Tell us how you got here.
!
Tell us how programming logic works.
!
How does one reach one’s goal?

3. Card Sorting

4. Card Sorting
—An organizing exercise (with cards, sure).
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—To gain insight. Does not provide "answer".The average
of all results is not the "right" information architecture
(technically, this is a folksonomy).
!

5. Card Sorting
—Two types: open and closed
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— Open: Piles/groups emerge as participants place cards
down
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— Closed: Grouped according to given categories

6. Card Sorting
How to explain a card sort
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—"These are all topics that will appear on a site."
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—"Please group things you’d expect to find together."
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—"It’s okay to make subgroups if that seems like the
right thing to do."
!

7. Card Sorting
Let’s take a few minutes.
What have we learned from our research that we could
organize? What visitors need to know? Want to do?

8. Site Maps

9. Site Maps
A site map shows the overall structure and relationships
between items on a website.
!
For large sites a site map may document patterns of
organization, instead of accounting for every single page.
!

10. Site Maps
A site map helps guide navigation design, site planning,
content development, and migration.
!
Site maps tend to be good for hierarchical content
structures and less effective for visualizing very large
sites, facets, or tags.

11. Flows

12. Flows
A flow documents how a user moves through an
application or website
!
Including the different states or branches the user
might access.
!

13. Flows
Ideally, a process flow will show all the possible paths a
user might take, including errors, to help ensure the
system is designed for all possible paths.
!
Process flows can also be used to analyze existing
applications to identify bottlenecks, cul–de–sacs, early
exit points, and other potential problems.
!
(Note: You may see "$var flow" terminology.)

14. Flows
Card sorting: the dots
!
Flows: the lines connecting
the dots

15. Flows
It’s important to understand exactly how, step by step,
users can go through the site and how to get users back
on track if they’ve deviated.
!
This is true for both implementers and designers.

16. Flows
http://kevinmattice.com/processflows.html

17. Flows
http://www.lightpetal.com/ux-process-artefacts/

18. Flows

19. Flows
Do we have any known actions our users might want or need to take?
Any critical information they’ll need to find?
Let’s sketch out some flows.

20. Flows
Any insights?
(Remember to take photos of your work!)

21. Next up:
Wireframes
ddt@twoangstroms.com
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