CARD website usability study

Session snapshot

Research approach

Key findings

1. Finding 1

   The hero does not look like CARD’s science

   Supporting data & analysis

   Most participants wanted the homepage hero — and images sitewide — replaced. The lecture-hall photo felt like architects at a drafting table, not neurons, lab work, or the mission in the hero copy. The Mission and Philosophy button was still the first thing people wanted to click, and everyone understood where it went.

   Participant voice

   “Not a big fan of the picture, this looks more like architects designing or drafting. Scientists don’t all gather around and look at illuminating tables.”

2. Finding 2

   Collaborate with CARD repeats the navigation

   Supporting data & analysis

   Once people scrolled past the hero, the Collaborate cards restated the same destinations as the top nav. That made the section feel redundant. Spotlight and CARD News were the parts people wanted higher — Spotlight especially, over Collaborate.

   Participant voice

   “Is this the same or is it different than the top navigation? I expected it to be something different.”

3. Finding 3

   Data labels hide the actual resources

   Supporting data & analysis

   Data Science and Data Resources sounded like raw datasets. People found tools (CRISPBR, GenoML) useful, but they were unsure which nav item to trust. “Program” read like a degree track. Long-read Sequencing sat next to Data Science in Research Programs, which made the difference between a method and a program unclear.

   Participant voice

   “This isn’t data — it’s things to help me manage my data. As a new employee, I may want to know where all the data is stored.”

Barriers on the live site

• Generic page imagery

  Hero and research photos felt off-topic; people asked for brains, neurons, lab work, or figures.

• Repeated homepage IA

  Collaborate with CARD mirrored the top nav, so the purpose of the section was unclear.

• Data Science vs Data Resources

  Two nav items overlapped. Users preferred Data Science and expected raw data that was not there.

• Program vs method labels

  Long-read Sequencing was hard to place next to Data Science; “program” sounded like training.

• No share or contact path

  People would forward URLs, but wanted a share control or a group contact on research pages.

• News without publications

  CARD News was easy to use, but people assumed research highlights and papers would live there.

Strategic recommendations

1. 1

   Replace hero images with scientific or team photography

   Align each page’s image with the topic. Real lab or figure imagery would carry CARD’s collaborative and scientific message better than a generic hall.

2. 2

   Rebuild Collaborate with CARD around audiences

   Stop repeating top-nav categories. Cards for visiting scientists or recent developments would give people a reason to scroll.

3. 3

   Relabel Data and combine overlapping pages

   Call it Data Resources, fold or move Data Science, and drop “program” when the page is a set of tools.

4. 4

   Add a Research Programs landing page as the list grows

   More than five programs in the nav will get heavy. A landing page can hold Long-read Sequencing, AutoTAC, and future work without flattening methods into the same list.

5. 5

   Elevate Mission and Philosophy in the IA

   It was last in the nav and first in the hero. Pair it with About, or move it up so importance matches the click path.

6. 6

   Put next steps on listing and detail pages

   Add share, contact, and read-more actions so collaboration is not limited to copying a URL. Keep training pages long — people wanted requirements up front.