Vision Australia – Information Architecture
Designing the information architecture of Vision Australia’s website and applying a global navigation design system
Executive Summary
Vision Australia faced a critical challenge with its website’s information architecture, resulting in significant user frustration and a low content find-ability rate. Users struggled to locate vital information, particularly regarding funding, next steps, and distinguishing between services and general information, often leading to calls for direct assistance.
To address this, our team undertook a comprehensive, data-driven redesign of the website’s information architecture. Employing a robust human-centered design approach, we utilised a multi-faceted methodology that included:
- Brand and Content Strategy: Aligning user needs with Vision Australia’s core mission using the Golden Circle framework.
- Analytics Review: Gaining insights into existing user engagement and identifying deeply buried content.
- Tree Testing: Quantifying the low success rate of the previous structure (49%) and identifying specific pain points.
- Top Task Analysis: Prioritising critical user tasks and content.
- Card Sorting: Collaborating with a large user base to intuitively structure content into 8 prominent categories.
This rigorous process resulted in a dramatically improved user experience, evidenced by a 72% increase in information find-ability during AB testing. The project not only delivered a highly intuitive and accessible new information architecture but also established a foundational blueprint for a future global navigation design system, significantly enhancing how users connect with Vision Australia’s essential services and information.
Achievements
Achieved a Quantifiable 72% Increase in Information Findability
Through a meticulously redesigned information architecture and subsequent AB testing, the project dramatically improved the ease with which users could locate information. This significant increase from an initial 49% success rate in tree testing to a 72% findability rate is a clear, measurable outcome demonstrating the direct positive impact of the UX work.
Executed a Comprehensive and Data-Driven Information Architecture Redesign
The project employed a robust, multi-method approach to overhaul Vision Australia’s information architecture. This included strategic steps like mapping user needs with the Golden Circle framework, leveraging Google Analytics, conducting a crucial tree test, performing a top task analysis, and executing a large-scale card sort. This systematic and evidence-based process was instrumental in identifying user struggles and crafting a truly user-centric content structure.
Developed a Strategic Foundation for a Global Navigation Design System
The project successfully defined a new, user-centric information architecture, identifying 8 prominent categories that will serve as the core scaffolding for the site’s future structure. This achievement, developed through iterative design jams and wire-framing, provides Vision Australia with a clear, validated blueprint for a global navigation design system, addressing long-standing client frustrations and setting the stage for a more intuitive and accessible digital experience.
1. Brand and content strategy
Using the Golden Circle, Vision Australia mapped out the needs for each user group and how they fit into the current mindset of Vision Australia’s services.
We were then able to map out the reason each of these sections were important and to which user group they directly correlated with.
Why:
To support people who are blind or have low vision to live the life they choose
How:
· Our clients are at the centre of everything we do: we are guided by the needs of our clients. We recognise that everyone who is BLV has an individual story and a unique set of goals and ambitions, so we never take a one size fits all approach.
· We deliver the services, support and products our clients, their families and supporters need and want – we seek to make a measurable positive impact in four key areas important to our clients, education, employment, independence and social inclusion
· We advocate for social change so that people who are BLV can live the life they choose
· People love to work at VA
· We take a business-like approach to delivering on our purpose meaning we are responsible in how we use our resources so we are sustainable
What:
Specialist support, services and products for people who are blind or have low vision to assist with everyday living, daily tasks, social, leisure and recreation, to achieving goals and passions. We support all ages from birth to the senior years and our workforce is expert in providing support for people who are blind or have low vision.
2. Analytics
The google analytics of the website’s architecture gave us a clear idea of how users were engaging with the website, and also how deeply buried and difficult parts of the website had become to discover. This then led to tree testing with the current structure to validate whether our hypothesis was correct.
3. Tree Test
The experience team undertook a tree test to determine where users were hitting dead ends and how they problem solved when going down the wrong path. We had some pretty terrible results on the current structure. A success rate of 49% helped us understand that a drastic restructure was needed.
Some of the insights to come out of the tree test;
- Participants found it comparatively easy to find generic service pages (adult, child pages etc)
- Participants found it comparatively easy to find information about eye conditions
- Participants found it difficult to find information relating to how funding works.
- Participants found it difficult to find information to guide next steps.
- Participants found it difficult to correctly complete tasks when there were multiple answers that looked similar. In the case of AT, they would default to call someone.
4. Top Tasks
Vision Australia’s site, much like many others, suffered from too much content. Too many departments wanting their piece of the pie front and centre on the site. This is a very common issue in not for profits. We used a top task analysis to really understand what the most important tasks and content for the website are. This enables us to prioritise where the value for our users are the highest.
Unfortunately we were hard pressed to get a good amount of feedback as users were unable to contribute as much as we were hoping.
5. Card Sort
The next method we used to help design our content was a card sort with a large user base. In a card sorting session, users organise topics into categories that make sense to them and then label those groups.
The outcomes of this method really helped us build the scaffolding of the site’s architecture. We were able to recognise 8 prominent categories and set out trying to fit our current structure into that framework.
6. Insights & Research
Our main takeaways from these methods were users really struggled to find out how funding worked, issues between the definitions of ‘services’ and ‘information’, frustration from clients getting lost and big struggles for new clients to understand the next steps.
The experience team also mapped out some design decisions and laws we should be following for the next stage of the designs (wire-framing). Here we also researched some of the best practiced menu designs and started experimenting with accessibility tools that can be used in browsers.
7. Designs & Structure
After multuiple rounds of design jams, wire-framing our best outcomes, the team came up with this current structure. The information architecture is currently waiting for a design system before it can be implemented and a audit of current content is underway
