[Sigia-l] Initial Stakeholders Meeting

[Jared M. Spool]

Samantha Bailey wrote:
>Keith Instone developed a "navigation stress test" 
>(http://user-experience.org/uefiles/navstress/) which can be useful for 
>focusing conversations, whether around a client's own site or competitor 
>sites on navigation/classification issues. This can be a good ice-breaker.

I realize this is a list of IA's and goodness knows I have tremendous 
respect for Keith's work, however...

I'm concerned that using a technique like this at an initial meeting could 
set a direction that is hazardous to the project. Keith's excellent test 
focuses purely on navigation. It assumes that the page under stress 
*should* be on the site. It doesn't ask whether the content on the page is 
useful, or whether it's complete, or if it's even important to the success 
of the enterprise.

If you start with Keith's test and not address those issues, I'd be afraid 
that you'll divert the stakeholders to thinking that navigation, 
independent of the value of the content, is the most important thing on 
which to focus. I don't think that's what you want to do.

Jared


Jared M. Spool, Founding Principal
User Interface Engineering
4 Lookout Lane, Unit 4d
Middleton, MA 01949
978 777-9123
jspool at uie.com
http://www.uie.com