Question: Rachel works for a marketing agency and is designing a new website for a client. She's trying to create the site navigation, but is having trouble figuring out which items to include and where to place them. How should Rachel start tackling this problem?
- Perform an open card sort with a group of users.
- Conduct usability testing with a mockup of the website.
- Ask the client how they think the navigation should be structured.
- Copy the navigation menu from a similar website.
Explanation
An open card sort helps reveal how real users expect website content to be grouped and labeled. This makes it useful before building a navigation structure because it surfaces user-centered categories instead of internal assumptions. The method supports website optimization by reducing friction in how visitors find information. It is especially useful when the correct menu structure is unclear at the beginning of a redesign or build.
Why the other options are incorrect
Usability testing is incorrect because it is more useful after a navigation prototype exists.
Client opinion is incorrect because internal preferences may not match how users expect content to be organized.
Competitor copying is incorrect because another site’s structure may not fit this audience, content, or customer journey.
Source for verification
https://knowledge.hubspot.com/website-pages/manage-your-site-navigation-menu
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