Map and prioritize users' information sources to reveal trust hierarchies and identify content strategy opportunities.
Information Horizons maps the sources users consult when making decisions, revealing trust hierarchies and information-seeking behavior.
Information Horizons is an interview-based research method where participants visually map the sources they consult when making decisions, placing the most trusted and frequently used sources closest to the center of a diagram. The resulting maps reveal how people navigate their information landscape, which channels they trust, and where critical gaps exist in available resources. UX researchers, content strategists, and information architects use this method to understand the real information-seeking behaviors of their users rather than relying on assumptions about how people find and evaluate information. The method is particularly valuable for teams designing content ecosystems, help documentation, or onboarding experiences, because it shows exactly where users currently go for answers and where they struggle to find what they need. By mapping multiple participants' information horizons and comparing them across segments, teams can identify patterns in source preferences, trust hierarchies, and information gaps that represent opportunities for their product to become a primary resource. The visual output of the method — concentric rings or network diagrams showing source proximity and trust — creates a powerful communication artifact that helps stakeholders understand user behavior intuitively. Information Horizons bridges qualitative interview depth with visual mapping, producing insights that directly inform content strategy, SEO priorities, and competitive positioning.
Start by establishing clear objectives for the research. These goals will provide direction for the study's focus and outline the information needs of the participants.
Select representative participants, considering the target audience and user groups. It is essential to choose users who are likely to use or to be affected by the product or service being studied.
Design an interview guide containing open-ended questions that allow participants to express their thoughts and opinions. This guide should include questions about the participants' information needs, resources they use or may need, and their navigation strategies.
Carry out in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the selected participants, following the interview guide, and encouraging them to provide detailed answers. This step helps gather data about users' perceptions, preferences, and experiences.
Convert the recorded interviews into text format. This transcription process helps researchers analyze and review interview data more efficiently, enabling them to identify patterns, trends, and insights.
Carefully analyze the transcribed interviews to identify common themes, patterns, and issues. This step includes categorizing and coding data to highlight important ideas and concepts associated with participants' information horizons.
Based on the analyzed data, construct visual representations of the participants' information horizons. These maps illustrate the relationships between different information sources, their importance for users, and users' strategies for finding and using information.
Examine the information horizon maps and other data analysis results to gain insights into users' information-seeking behavior, preferences, and needs. Address the research objectives defined at the beginning of the study and draw informed conclusions.
Use the findings from the information horizons research to inform UX design decisions and strategies. Develop solutions and improvements that address identified user needs and expectations to enhance the overall user experience of the product or service.
Present the findings and insights from the study to the relevant stakeholders, such as the design team members, product managers, and other decision-makers. This step facilitates effective communication, collaboration, and informed decision-making.
After conducting Information Horizons research, the team will have visual maps showing exactly which sources each user segment consults when making decisions, how much they trust each source, and in what order they consult them. These maps reveal where the team's product or content currently sits in users' information ecosystems and where gaps exist that represent opportunities. The findings directly inform content strategy by showing which channels to prioritize, what content formats users prefer, and how to position the product as a trusted information source. Teams can use the insights to redesign onboarding, improve help documentation, guide SEO strategy, and make informed decisions about content distribution channels.
Draw information sources as a target diagram: most trusted sources near the center, less important ones at the edges.
Ask participants to walk you through a recent real decision to surface actual sources used, not just remembered ones.
Include both formal sources (websites, documents, databases) and informal ones (colleagues, social media, word of mouth).
Probe for sources participants considered but rejected — this reveals their trust and credibility criteria.
Look for gaps between important decisions and weak information sources — these represent design opportunities.
Compare information horizons across user segments to identify where content strategy should differ by audience.
Quantify results by following up with a survey where participants rate pre-selected sources from the interviews.
Map the temporal sequence of source consultation to understand the information journey, not just the endpoint.
People poorly predict their own information-seeking behavior. Always anchor questions to a specific, recent decision the participant actually made rather than asking what they would do in a hypothetical scenario.
Researchers often focus on formal, documented sources like websites and databases while overlooking informal channels like colleagues, social media, and word of mouth. Probe specifically for informal and social sources.
Simply listing sources without capturing trust levels and usage frequency misses the most valuable insight. Use the concentric ring format to force participants to rank sources by importance and proximity.
Different user segments often have dramatically different information horizons. Recruit across segments and compare maps to identify where content strategy needs to vary by audience.
Question set and guidelines ensuring consistent topic coverage.
Plan with target count, demographics, screening criteria, and incentives.
Visual map of sources, pathways, and trust levels users rely on.
Coded and categorized data revealing trends and key insights.
Summary of findings with actionable content and design recommendations.
Stakeholder presentation with process overview and key visualizations.