方法对比

	树测试	情境探究 (Contextual Inquiry)
领域	人机交互	人机交互
方法族	Hypothesis test	Hypothesis test
起源年份	2000s	1993
提出者	Usability Professionals	Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblatt
类型	Task-based testing of navigation structures	In-situ user research method capturing real work practices
开创性文献	Tullis, T., Fleischman, S., McNulty, M., Ciccone, C., & Bergel, M. (2002). An empirical comparison of lab and remote usability testing of web sites. In Proceedings of the Usability Professionals Association Annual Conference.	Beyer, H., & Holtzblatt, K. (1998). Contextual Design: Defining Customer-Centered Systems. Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN: 1-558-60722-X
别名	Reverse Card Sort, Card Sorting Validation	CI, Contextual Design, Work-centered Design
相关	4	4
摘要	Tree Testing is a quantitative, task-based validation method for evaluating information architecture and navigation structures. Users are presented with a text-only representation of a website or app hierarchy (a tree) and asked to locate specific items or complete tasks by clicking through the structure. Unlike card sorting, which reveals user mental models during design, tree testing validates whether a proposed structure allows users to find items efficiently. The method captures success rate, time-to-completion, and paths taken, providing metrics for comparing navigation designs.	Contextual Inquiry is a field research method for understanding users by observing and interviewing them in their real work environment. Developed by Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblatt at Applied Research and Technology, this method combines ethnographic observation with targeted questioning to capture not just what users say they do, but what they actually do—including workarounds, informal practices, and priorities often invisible in lab settings. Contextual Inquiry uncovers the context, constraints, and real-world complexity of user tasks, providing rich insights for user-centered design.