IMDB PRo

Through this project the team examines the process of reorganizing the information architecture of the IMDb Pro website for our target user group - students in the creative fields - to improve user experience and navigation efficiency. Recognizing that the current IA may benefit from enhanced clarity and organization, the study employs card sorting and tree testing methods to gather insights directly from users. Based on the findings, we provided design recommendations to improve the overall information architecture and user experience of the website.

  • This was an information architecture and a site usability based project conducted at Pratt Institute.

  • UX Researcher & UI Designer

  • User interviews, affinity mapping, card sorting, tree testing, site mapping and wire-framing and prototyping.

The problem

Unclear navigation

The IMDb Pro website faces significant UI challenges, particularly in its navigation structure. The grouping of content within the submenus under the main menu items lacks clarity, making it difficult for users to locate specific information. The language used for primary menu items is often ambiguous, leaving users unsure about what each section entails. Additionally, the secondary navigation contains repetitive items, which not only adds to the clutter but also disrupts the overall flow of the user experience. These issues collectively hinder efficient navigation and detract from the platform's usability and easy navigation.

The Process

We developed an interview protocol and recruited eight participants to explore their experiences and impressions of IMDb Pro. Our goal was to understand the challenges they face and gather insights into their vision of an ideal platform.

01. User interviews

02. Analyzing findings

After synthesizing user feedback from the interviews, we organized the key insights into an affinity diagram, allowing us to identify core themes and shape our objectives accordingly.

Based on our consolidated findings, we developed a user persona that encapsulates the average needs and characteristics of our interviewees. This persona helped define their goals, providing a clear direction for the proposed changes to the site.

03. User persona

To improve the information architecture of the IMDb Pro website, we first conducted a card sorting study aimed at understanding how users intuitively group and categorize site content. By examining how users perceive and organize the site’s primary navigation elements and subcategories, we aimed to gather insights that would inform a more user-centered structure, ultimately enhancing content discoverability and usability. We recruited nine participants to perform an unmoderated open card sorting test.

04. card sorting

After analyzing the results of the card sorting activity, we then conducted a tree testing study aimed at understanding how users navigate through our proposed information architecture to accomplish real world IMDb Pro tasks. We came up with 11 tasks through reassessing our user personas and creating scenarios of what information they would be seeking as students in the creative industry.

05. TREE TESTING

Based on these findings, we developed a new sitemap (see next slide) closely reflecting the structure preferred by 8 of the 9 participants, aligning with our hypothesis for improved navigation. To further validate this structure, we conducted a tree test that revealed varied results. Although most tasks were successfully completed, we chose to update the “Industry Professionals” category to include “Management Companies” and “Production Companies,” a structure that resonated strongly with both participants and our team following the tests.

06. New sitemap

We examined the usability of the proposed site structure for IMDb Pro through user testing conducted on low to mid-fidelity Figma prototypes for both desktop and mobile versions. This was done for 2 major task flows: Networking and Portfolio Management, on both mobile and desktop devices.

07. LO-FI prototype

TASK 01: NETWORKING

TASK 02: PORTFOLIO VIEWING

FINAL PRODUCT

FINAL PRODUCT

THE SOLUTION

Through moderated user tests with our low-fidelity prototype, we refined our final product by incorporating user feedback and addressing any navigational or experiential issues observed. Key design improvements included enhancements to navigation components, better grouping and categorization of information, and improved content formatting.

We streamlined navigation for both mobile and desktop, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. The homepage feed structure was revamped to offer a more engaging experience, featuring discovery tools such as filters to enhance content exploration. For the networking flow, we enhanced user profile pages to better showcase featured work and key professional details, while introducing a messaging feature with multiple access points to facilitate seamless communication. Additionally, for the portfolio management and browsing feature, we added engagement options like liking work and saving it to a board, along with improved layouts to showcase more of the creator’s work effectively.

our conclusion

Designing a platform to handle large volumes of content across desktop and mobile interfaces posed unique challenges. On desktop, adapting mobile-centric features like feeds and profiles required innovation in filtering, tagging, and navigation. Ensuring consistent functionality across screen sizes for features such as recommended projects, past projects, and navigation items was another hurdle addressed in the proposed designs. A cohesive design system maintained visual and linguistic consistency, while new features like messaging were informed by user research through interviews, card sorting, and testing. The final prototype, though requiring further validation, demonstrated improved user experience with portfolio and networking features. Navigation on both web and mobile received positive feedback for visual simplification, the table of contents feature, and menu reorganization. However, some users felt the design was overly tailored to specific user groups, highlighting the need for broader user testing and optimization to include non-student demographics.