I turned to Fullstory, a digital experience analytics platform, to identify users' pain points within the existing knowledge base.
There was a prevalence of rage clicks in the sidebar, especially on section titles and on locked content.
Above: Karen, a confused user, rage clicks on sidebar content.
Above: Danny, a card sort participant, names the categories he's created.
Card sorting software wasn't in the budget for our lean startup. I invented a free workaround using Asana that enabled our team to gain valuable feedback on how to change our information architecture.
Regardless of industry track, users most commonly grouped content based on stages in the job search (applying, interviewing, etc.)
The Pathrise knowledge base needed to be able to handle a variety of content, from workshop recordings to coding challenge solutions. I examined a variety of comparative experiences: news aggregators, technical support sites, and online learning platforms.
Above: An Apple News grid view. Left alignment and white space around informational text makes this format highly scannable.