Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Case Study for IA and UI design update
ABOUT
The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) website was ready to undergo an overhaul. The site was essentially operating as a host for approximately 12 subsites. These subsites were all under the umbrella of the PWRC, but managed individually, without unity or consistency between the sites. When we first encountered the site, we felt how most users must have felt... confused. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has important information to offer with many researchers affiliated. We wanted to make sure the public, and all users, would be able to find the valuable research being presented on this website.
Our team of four focused on the PWRC main site and the first three subsites. We took a deep-dive into the site to deliver a comprehensive information architecture and user interface redesign. Deliverables for the client included a detailed content inventory, card sort, competitive analysis, and recommendations based on our analysis of these items.
PROCESS
CONTENT INVENTORY
Starting our journey into the PWRC website, we conducted a content inventory. Our scope included the first four levels of the main site and the first three levels for each of subsites, if applicable. The content was recorded under the following categories: webpage title, page description, downloadable content, links on page, page url, purpose, page template, and notes (observations and recommendations).
After analyzing the main site and three subsites, our team presented findings in order of importance for the PWRC's IT team to review. We also identified potential user populations and recommended our findings be considered based on how changes would affect the distinct populations.
example of findings from content inventory
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
After looking at the through the website content, we analyzed PWRC's website search engine optimization (SEO) and identified three key measures for their SEO success.
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Improve usability through improved site architecture
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Optimize content relevance for user searches
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Maintain authority in conservation field by relationship building​
Five areas of concern were given, with specific examples from the website and recommendations for improvement. Areas of concern included server errors, site speed, file naming & structure, duplicate content, meta tags​. A few SEO best practices were shared with the client, as well. We advised to maintain high quality content as interesting/unique content is more likely to attract traffic and to be shared. PWRC should pay attention to link building. Links to other reputable organizations in the field will help instill trust and relevance. Building social network profiles and keeping them up-to-date will create more opportunities for link sharing and user engagement.
PERSONAS
Our client provided us with information about their users. From this we information, we were able to determine three primary users and identify six distinct site behaviors. Utilizing the PWRC's insights, along with our contact with a sampling of site users, we created personas for the three primary users.
example of our personas
CARD SORTING
The next step in our process was to begin our testing with card sorting. Our goal was to test our first-pass proposed architecture and to determine the organizational categories of content that would make the most sense to users searching the PWRC website.
We recruited 38 participants - a mix of scientists, nature enthusiasts, college students, and the general public. Three rounds of sort testing were performed, open card, closed card, and tree sort, before we analyzed and simplified the categories. We began with 28 user-generated categories, moved to eight proposed, and four final categories.
The primary takeaways from our various sorts were to keep it simple, organize to user goals, and have summaries where needed. Our actionable recommendations for the client were:
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Don't use publication or project titles for page headings.
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Use meaningful categories.
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Top down content structure with simple summaries facilitates navigation.
image from a pilot card sort
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Along with PWRC, we evaluated three sites which specialize in information about science, conservation, wildlife habitat restoration, and other environmental topics. Each of these sites operate at a national and regional level. Our main focus for the competitive analysis was the regional sites. The final category of the analysis was the relation of the regional site to national level, and if it fit the brand. Our chosen competitors were the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Federation, and Audubon Society.
Strengths among the sites included: strong community encouragement and easy to find links to social media, simple language and actionable words, and presentation of recent news stories in a prominent place. Weaknesses included improper navigation, inconsistent branding, and dead end pages.
Takeaways and recommendations for the client included:
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Add interactive elements
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Encourage community involvement
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Make content readable for diverse audiences while maintaining integrity
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Simplify navigation
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Boost the educational section
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PROPOSED ARCHITECTURE
Based on the outcomes of our testing and follow-up research, we presented our revised architecture. While similar to our initial structure, we organized information by user goals. The science tab provides a top-down approach to PWRC's projects with entry level summaries on every project and simplified language for those seeking to browse PWRC's body of work. Stepping beyond this structure, activities would be presented in a project-based sturcture that clearly delineates from current and past work. Students, educators, and volunteers can achieve specific learning objectives under the Education tab. Data-scientists, researchers, and other professionals will be able to address specific needs via the resources section.
proposed architecture
PROPOSED DESIGN
Finally, we presented our client with a mobile and desktop friendly design featuring goal-focused navigation. PWRC's new website would have showcased content and use a browsing-centered design. Users would be able to utilizing sorting and filtering features to access programs. Projects across the site would feature a consistent structure and brand identification to minimize confusion.
lo-fi primary page
hi-fi primary page
lo-fi secondary page
lo-fi tertiary page
