The purpose of this study is to test the flow and information structure of our discourse forum. If users are not able to find what they are looking for in the structure, it can result in frustration for them, causing a bad experience. We will be using Tree Testing methodology to understand the user experience with the flow, and generating a quantitative analysis report.
## Objectives
Evaluate the current structure for the forum, our user flow, and any immediate pain point users may face when trying to find a topic or post a new entry in the forum.
## Participants
For this study, we will recruit participants who are already part of the Tor Community or some communication channel, such as mailing lists, that indicates their familiarity with collaborating or testing Tor products.
We expect from 15-50 participants for this test.
### Recruitment Strategy
We will send a Call For Participation (CFP) to: global-south, tor-qa, tor-project, community mailing lists.
## Methodology
In this research plan we will be using Tree Testing Methodology, to ask research participants to complete findability tasks by using an information structure presented to them.
This method will enable us to understand our users flow, ensuring we are using the right (or not) structure for the forum.
We will use a self-hosted LimeSurvey to create the activity for this study.
### We will need:
1. Instructions
2. Questions
3. Tasks
#### Instructions:
a) You will be asked to find a certain category on a list that resonate to your need;
b) Click through the list until you get to the one that you think helps you complete the task;
c) If you don't find the category you're looking for, you can let us know in a follow-up question.
Warning: Please don’t use the back button on your browser. This is not a test of your ability, there are no right or wrong answers.
#### Questions
Do users can successfully post a new topic using our discourse structure?
Do people feel more confident giving us feedback through discourse?
How many people successfully report a problem and search for at least one update of our product using discourse?
#### Tasks
We will use up to 8 tasks, this is just a sample of what this would look like. Tasks should be completed in 10-15 minutes.
* You've encountered a bug with Tor Browser on your phone. Where would you report it?
* You've found a localization issue, where would you report it?
* You cannot install Tor Browser, where will you look for help?
* You cannot connect with the Tor Network, where will you look for help?
* Imagine you were navigating through Tor Browser Android and it crashed after trying to load your e-mail page. Use the tree below to indicate where you can share this bug.
* A recent Tor Browser update has changed the way an existing feature works, and you don't like it. Where would you voice your opinion about the change?
* A website is not working with Tor. Where would you ask for help?
* You have a feature request! Where would you report it?
* Your website is not loading in Tor Browser. Where will you look for help?
* An onion site you're trying to visit is not loading. Where will you look for help?
* You're a new relay operator, but your relay is very slow. Where will you look for help?
#### Results
We will measure the **Sucess Rate**: the percentage of participants completing the task correctly, and determine if the proposed structure works. We can measure Speed or Directness rate using LimeSurvey.
### Timeline
We will run this study for one-week, in August 2021.
