Tree testing

Tree testing shows whether people can find their way

Give people your real navigation as a text-only outline and a task, then see whether the labels alone get them there.Create a free tree test study in minutes, no experience required.

A preview player for the tree test. It steps through the four blocks a respondent sees, and is paused on the third: the tree test itself, with the Fiuto panel floating over the outline holding the task as they drill through the navigation.

What is a tree test?

A tree test presents your navigation as a plain, clickable outline with no visual design, then asks people to find where they'd go to complete a task.

Use it once you already have a structure to check, before or after a redesign, to see whether the labels alone can get people to the right place.

Right test, wrong test

It is worth two minutes to check a tree test is the method you want.

Reach for it when

  • Validating an existing or proposed navigation before you build it

  • Comparing two or more candidate structures for the same content

  • Investigating a section people consistently struggle to find

  • Checking whether new labels read the way you intend

Reach for something else when

  • You don't have a structure yet and want to learn how people would group things. A card sort finds the groups first.

  • You need to test the finished screens not just the labels. A first-click test or prototype test measures the real interface.

Three things that make it work

01

Write the task in the respondent's words

Phrase each task the way a real user would describe the need, not with your own menu labels, so you test the structure rather than the wording of the question.

02

Pin one correct path per task

Mark the path from root to target so Fiuto can score success and directness. Leave it open only for a task with no single right answer.

03

Run one task per tree

For several tasks against the same structure, add one tree test block per task rather than folding them into a single run.

Frequently asked questions

01What is a tree test?

A tree test presents your navigation as a plain, clickable outline and asks people to find where they'd go to complete a task, with nothing but the labels to guide them.

02What is the difference between a tree test and a card sort?

A card sort helps you find a structure by seeing how people group and label items. A tree test comes after: it confirms whether people can find things inside a structure you already have.

03How many people should I test with?

Aim for 50 or more respondents per task for stable success and directness numbers. Fewer than that and the results are directional rather than conclusive.

04What does Fiuto measure in a tree test?

When you pin a correct path, Fiuto scores success (did they reach the target) and directness (did they get there without backtracking).

05Can a tree test have more than one right answer?

Yes. Leave the correct path unpinned for an open-ended task with no single right destination, and read the paths people actually took instead.

06Should the tree test show any visual design?

No. It's text-only on purpose, so you're testing the labels and structure, not the visual design or search.

07Do I need a live site or prototype to run a tree test?

No. You only need the structure as text: section names and how they nest under each other.