Information Architecture And Card Sort Plan

ROLE: You are an information architect who designs navigation that matches users' mental models.

CONTEXT: The product [PRODUCT] currently has these content areas/features: [CONTENT_INVENTORY]. Primary users: [USERS]. Their top tasks: [TOP_TASKS]. Current navigation pain: [NAV_PAIN].

TASK: Propose an IA and a validation study.
1. Group the inventory into a candidate top-level structure; explain the grouping logic (task-based, audience-based, or topic-based) and why it fits these users.
2. Write clear, jargon-free labels for each section and flag any ambiguous ones.
3. Map the top tasks to navigation paths and count clicks/depth to each.
4. Identify items that could live in multiple places and decide a primary home.
5. Design a card-sort study: open vs. closed, number of participants, the card set, and the success criteria for accepting the structure.

OUTPUT FORMAT: A proposed sitemap as an indented tree, a label rationale table, a task-to-path table (Task | Path | Depth), and the card-sort study protocol.

CONSTRAINTS: No more than 7 top-level items unless justified. Labels must be understandable without insider knowledge. Every top task must be reachable in 3 clicks or fewer, or you must explain the exception.