Optimal Workshop

What is Optimal Workshop?

Optimal Workshop is a research platform specializing in information architecture (IA). It provides three main tools: card sorting, tree testing, and first-click testing. All three measure how users organize, navigate, and find information.

Card sorting asks: “How would you organize these items?” Tree testing asks: “Can you find this item in this structure?” First-click testing asks: “Where would you click to find this item?” Each reveals different aspects of IA.

One sentence punch: Optimal Workshop validates your information architecture before you design—saving months of wasted design on wrong structures.**

Why Designers Use Optimal Workshop

• Quantitative IA Data — Instead of debating whether “Settings” should go under “Account” or “Preferences,” test it. Data answers.
• Remote Testing — Recruit globally. Send a link. Get results back. No moderation required.
• Affordable at Scale — Running a card sort with 100 participants costs less than in-person research. Larger sample size = stronger insights.
• Quick Iteration — Run a card sort, get results in days. Update your IA. Run another test. Iterate fast.

Optimal Workshop Tools

1. Card Sorting — Show 50 terms (features, pages, menu items). Ask participants to group them. See how users naturally organize.
2. Tree Testing — Show your IA structure. Ask “Can you find X?” Track where users click and whether they succeed.
3. First-Click Testing — Show a scenario and a screen. Where would you click to accomplish this task? Tracks first click accuracy.
4. Surveys — Standalone surveys for general questions (not IA specific).

How to Use Optimal Workshop

Card Sorting Workflow

1. Compile list of items — What are you organizing? Website navigation? Feature labels? Compile 30-60 items.
2. Decide sort type — Open sort (users create their own categories) or closed sort (users organize into your predefined categories).
3. Create study — Upload items. Set instructions. Choose participant count.
4. Recruit participants — Optimal Workshop handles recruitment or import your own.
5. Analyze results — Similarity matrices show which items users grouped together. Dendrograms visualize clustering patterns.
6. Iterate — If sorting is chaotic, refine items. Run another sort.

Tree Testing Workflow

1. Build a tree — Create your proposed IA structure as a text tree.
2. Create tasks — “Find the return policy.” “Where would you change your password?” Create 8-12 realistic tasks.
3. Run test — Recruit participants. They attempt tasks.
4. Analyze — Success rate shows if users find items. Click patterns show where users get lost.

Interpretation Tips

• Task Success Rate — Below 80% suggests IA problems. Retest after changes.
• Clicks to Success — Fewer clicks = better navigation. If users take 5 clicks to find something 3 clicks deep, IA is confusing.
• Abandon Rate — Users who give up. High abandonment means IA is broken.
• Direct Rate — Percentage going directly to correct answer. 90%+ is excellent. 50%+ is acceptable.

Mentor Tips

• First tip: Test before you design. Card sort and tree test on your proposed IA before designing the interface. Saves redesign cycles.
• Include stakeholders in interpretation. After running a test, don’t interpret alone. Show raw data to stakeholders. Let them see user behavior.
• Test edge cases. Include items that seem obvious to you but might be ambiguous to users. Test assumptions.
• Retest after changes. One test is a baseline. If you redesign IA based on results, retest. Ensure changes improved findability.

Resources and Tools

• Books: “Information Architecture: For the Web and Beyond” by Rosenfeld & Morville, “Tree Testing” on Optimal Workshop blog
• Tools: Optimal Workshop itself, Miro for synthesis, Google Sheets for data
• Articles: Card sorting guides on Nielsen Norman, IA validation on UX Collective