Card sorting, information architecture and usability: Adding in our users' perspective to re-design the census bureau web site

Previous research shows that one of the major problems for users of the information rich Census Bureau Web site was in locating or navigating to desired content. This knowledge motivated Bureau staff to begin thinking of how to reorganize the site to attain a more usable information architecture. The team determined that bringing in user-centered design practices into the process could benefit. Thus, in the initial stages of redesigning the Web site, Census Bureau staff in the usability lab conducted two rounds of card sorting. These studies were intended to reveal a better understanding of the content, and the organization of the content that should be on the Census Bureau main page and on the lower-level target pages of the site. This paper looks at how the card sorting studies identified ways that users organize site content and shows how bringing in users to help organize and understand site content gave a better basis for our Web site content development.