This paper describes an investigation of user-centered design methodologies intended to apply to metadata or information architecture evaluation and deployment. The primary focus of this work is investigation of user conceptual models and comparison with formally architected models. We describe related work, primarily from the domain of information architecture, such as free-listing, contextual enquiry, card-sorting and evaluation, and then describes the design, initial evaluation and practical use of a multi-stage prototyping method designed for elicitation of user knowledge and concepts of a domain, common conceptual models in that domain and the objects, collections and relations between objects considered relevant by users. A simple approach to the analysis of results is described.