'Did you find what you needed?' Surveys that test navigation

Key takeaways

A one-question survey asking 'Did you find what you were looking for?' is a cheap, continuous test of navigation. A 'no' with a short 'What were you looking for?' follow-up tells you, in visitors' own words, what the menu fails to show. Show it sparingly, after visitors have had time to look, and review answers monthly.

• Ask one question: did you find what you were looking for?
• Follow 'no' with: what were you looking for?
• Show it after a visitor has browsed, not on arrival.
• Review the answers monthly and fix the top themes.

Why survey visitors about navigation?

Analytics show what visitors did, not what they wanted. A findability survey captures what they came for and could not find, in their own words. It runs all the time, so it catches problems after a new page goes live or a label changes, between formal tests.

• How clear website navigation improves user experience
• Site search data: what visitors type tells you

What should you ask?

Keep it to one question with a yes or no answer, plus one optional free-text follow-up for 'no'. Longer surveys get fewer answers. Avoid rating scales here; you want to know what is missing, not how people feel.

• 'Did you find what you were looking for?' Yes or No.
• If No: 'What were you looking for?' Free text.
• Optional: 'How did you try to find it?'
• No contact details unless the visitor offers them.

Where and when should it appear?

Show it as a small, dismissible prompt at the bottom of the page or inline at the end of content, after a visitor has been on the site for a while or viewed a few pages. Avoid pop-ups on arrival, which interrupt and annoy. Never let it cover the menu or main action.

• Cookie banners and chat widgets that cover your menu

How do you act on the answers?

Group the 'no' answers by theme each month: prices, a service, opening hours, a document. If the thing exists on the site, the navigation or label is the problem. If it does not, it may be a content gap. Fix the top theme and watch whether the share of 'no' answers falls.

• Menu labels: words visitors understand at a glance
• Clear navigation cuts 'where do I find' calls and emails

What are the limits?

Only a small share of visitors answer, and they are not a random sample. Treat the answers as clues, not statistics. Combine them with site search data, analytics and occasional usability tests. Make sure any free-text answers are handled in line with your privacy notice.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a findability survey on a clinic site gets a steady trickle of 'no' answers saying 'parking' and 'how to get there'. The directions are on the contact page under a vague heading. Adding 'Find us' to the menu turns those answers into 'yes'.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Findability survey checklist

• One yes or no question.
• Free-text follow-up for 'no'.
• Shown after browsing, not on arrival.
• Dismissible and never covering navigation.
• Monthly review by theme.
• Covered by your privacy notice.

• Navigation metrics: proof visitors find their way
• First-click testing: is the first step the right one?

Next step

Add the one-question survey to your most visited page for a month and read every 'no'.