Prerna Awasthi ✷ Web IA Redesign

Tl;Dr:

Project Overview

Background

Reckless Records is a music store with three locations in Chicago, known for its vinyl inventory and strong local following.

The Challenge

The company currently has two active versions of its website, which focus on exploring available inventory. However, much of the site's content is restricted to searches and split across the two versions with inconsistent copy, leading to challenging navigation and poor discoverability.

*accessed March 2024

The Goal

Consolidate and restructure the website's information architecture and content strategy to improve overall usability.

Team

Solo

Role

UX Researcher

Duration

3 months

Tools & Methods

Content Inventory, Sitemaps, IA Testing (Optimal Workshop)

Team

Solo

Role

UX Researcher

Duration

3 months

Tools & Methods

Content Inventory, Sitemaps, IA Testing (Optimal Workshop)

Reckless Records Version 1

Reckless Records Version 2

Solution Preview

A Clear, Unified Sitemap

A revised, user-tested sitemap validated through four rounds of testing and resulting in a 100% task success rate in the final round.

Ideating

Rounding up all digital content

I started by conducting a content inventory to understand the website's existing structure, and uncovered three recurring challenges.

two active sites

Content is split across two different websites; some are exclusive to one version, while others are duplicated. However, the reason for this is not apparent.

two active sites

Content is split across two different websites; some are exclusive to one version, while others are duplicated. However, the reason for this is not apparent.

two active sites

Content is split across two different websites; some are exclusive to one version, while others are duplicated. However, the reason for this is not apparent.

inconsistent copy

Copy and content, even excluding from duplicated elements, is often inconsistent, both across and within the two versions.

inconsistent copy

Copy and content, even excluding from duplicated elements, is often inconsistent, both across and within the two versions.

inconsistent copy

Copy and content, even excluding from duplicated elements, is often inconsistent, both across and within the two versions.

poor discoverability

Browsing through content, particularly available record and CD inventory, is restricted almost entirely to searches.

poor discoverability

Browsing through content, particularly available record and CD inventory, is restricted almost entirely to searches.

poor discoverability

Browsing through content, particularly available record and CD inventory, is restricted almost entirely to searches.

For a store geared towards people who value music discovery, fragmentation and inconsistent content can make that experience elusive.

With this information, I decided to free-list all possible content items (existing and new) to ensure that every piece of content was accounted for. This was then used as the foundation for a new IA and four subsequent rounds of testing.

Following my content inventory, I free-listed all possible content items, existing and new, and used those as a basis for a new IA before conducting four rounds of testing.

Testing

Understanding how content fits into users' mental models

Card Sort

pilot

30 cards | 8 participants

pilot

30 cards | 8 participants

first round

22 cards | 24 participants

first round

22 cards | 24 participants

second round

22 cards | 10 participants

second round

22 cards | 10 participants

finding 01

unclear category distinctions

Several shopping-related cards were interchangeably misplaced between Merch and Vinyls; renaming Merch to Gifts & Apparel in round two significantly improved placement accuracy for both categories.

finding 01

unclear category distinctions

finding 02

confusing node copy

Several cards were frequently placed in I don't know or scattered across unrelated categories. Increasing specificity between rounds helped remove ambiguity; notably, Shop by Size became Shop by Record Size, and News became Important Updates.

finding 02

confusing node copy

Tree Test

pilot

6 tasks | peer feedback

pilot

6 tasks | peer feedback

first round

5 tasks | 20 participants

first round

5 tasks | 20 participants

second round

5 tasks | 11 participants

second round

5 tasks | 11 participants

finding 01

not everything needs to be in the nav

While the card sort informed effective naming conventions, the tree test revealed that dedicated nodes were unnecessary for certain categories entirely; nearly all cards under Vinyls, for example, were better suited as filters or search queries.

finding 01

not everything needs to be in the nav

finding 02

overall success!

The first tree test round yielded a 91% success rate. Accommodating for additional valid paths brought the second round to a 100% task success rate.

finding 02

overall success!

The first tree test round yielded a 91% success rate. Accommodating for additional valid paths brought the second round to a 100% task success rate.

Designing

Finalizing content items for a restructured sitemap

Data synthesis confirmed that several nodes were better suited for searching or filtering, not navigating, and all first-level categories needed more specificity. Removing and renaming the appropriate items enabled further reduction of navigational clutter and increased content discoverability.

Wireframing two key user journeys within the new sitemap

After creating the new sitemap, I also identified key task flows for the website and created a mobile wireframe.

task 01

shopping for records

This design gives users access to all available records on a single site, removing the need to switch between versions.

Sorting and filtering options allow browsing by subcategory directly on the page.

task 01

shopping for records

This design gives users access to all available records on a single site, removing the need to switch between versions.

Sorting and filtering options allow browsing by subcategory directly on the page.

task 01

shopping for records

This design gives users access to all available records on a single site, removing the need to switch between versions.

Sorting and filtering options allow browsing by subcategory directly on the page.

task 02

finding location information

This creates a more direct path to store location information, while consolidating previously scattered content, such as store news and inventory.

The favorite store feature reduces repetitive navigation and sets users' preferred location as the default across relevant task flows.

task 02

finding location information

task 02

finding location information

Retrospective

Takeaways

Content needs structure

Maintaining a content inventory is invaluable. Scattered links can get messy fast, confusing users and creating internal maintenance challenges in the process.

Dedicated navigation menus aren't the only access point

Not every link needs to be in the nav bar! Sorting, filtering, and other secondary options are equally helpful for users to find what they need.

Participant recruitment is its own challenge

Consistently finding participants can be challenging. I had to make the most of the channels I did have while ensuring testing remained effective.