[New Entry] Add Tree Testing

content/uiux/concepts/tree-testing/tree-testing.md

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+---
+Title: 'Tree Testing'
+Description: 'Tree testing is a user research method where researchers evaluate how easily users can find information in a hierarchical structure without the aid of visual design.'
+Subjects:
+  - 'Web Design'
+Tags:
+  - 'UI'
+  - 'UX'
+  - 'Research'
+CatalogContent:
+  - 'intro-to-ui-ux'
+  - 'paths/front-end-engineer-career-path'
+---
+
+**Tree testing** is a [user research](https://www.codecademy.com/resources/docs/uiux/user-research) method where researchers evaluate how easily users can find information in a hierarchical structure without the aid of visual design. This method is often used to validate [information architecture](https://www.codecademy.com/resources/docs/uiux/information-architecture) and navigation structures before any wireframes or user interfaces are created.
+
+There are several tools that can be used to conduct a tree testing session. These include online platforms such as [Treejack](https://www.optimalworkshop.com/treejack/), [UserZoom](https://www.userzoom.com/), [UXtweak](https://www.uxtweak.com/) and [Usabilitree](https://www.usabilitree.com/). Tree testing typically involves giving participants a task and asking them to navigate through a simplified site structure to locate the information.
+
+
+## Task-Based Navigation
+
+**Tree testing tasks** are written as specific goals, such as 'Where would you go to update your account settings?' Participants then click through the tree structure to identify where they think that information would be located.
+
+<!-- replace image -->
+![Diagram illustrating the process of tree testing: Step one: Participant is given a task. Step two: Participant selects a branch on the tree.](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Codecademy/docs/main/media/tree-testing-task.png)
+
+Researchers observe whether participants make the correct selections, how long it takes, and whether they backtrack. This helps identify where the structure is intuitive or where users may get lost.
+
+
+
+## Moderated vs. Unmoderated
+
+**Moderated** tree testing is when the researcher observes the participant as they complete tasks and can ask questions or clarify instructions. This provides additional context around user decisions and confusion points.
+
+**Unmoderated** tree testing is conducted remotely without researcher interaction. It is often used for large-scale studies and produces quantitative data about success rates and navigation paths. One limitation is that researchers may miss out on the "why" behind user decisions.