Card sorting

# Card Sorting

Card sorting is a user research method that helps understand how users categorize information.

Variations of Card Sorting

There are two main types of card sorting: open and closed. In an open card sort, participants create their own categories for the cards, allowing for greater flexibility and insight into their thought processes. In a closed card sort, participants sort cards into predefined categories, which can help validate existing structures or assumptions about content organization. Teams may also adapt card sorting to digital platforms, using online tools to facilitate remote participation, which can increase the diversity of input.

Connection to Other UX Methods

Card sorting is closely related to other UX research methods, such as usability testing and user interviews. While usability testing assesses how users interact with a finished product, card sorting focuses on the early stages of information architecture design. It provides foundational insights that can inform wireframes and prototypes, ensuring that the final product aligns with users' mental models.

Practical Insights

Clearly define the goals of the card sorting session to guide participants effectively.

Consider recruiting a diverse group of participants to capture a wide range of perspectives.

Analyze results for common patterns but be open to outliers that may indicate unique user needs.

Use insights from card sorting to create a more intuitive navigation structure for your site or app.

Card sorting helps shape the information architecture by revealing how users categorize content.

Define the objectives of the card sorting session to ensure alignment with project goals.

Create a list of topics or labels that represent the content to be sorted.

Select participants that represent the target user base for the study.

Conduct the card sorting session, guiding participants as needed while allowing them to sort independently.

Analyze the results to identify patterns in how users group and label content.

Document insights and recommendations to inform the design of the information architecture.

Iterate on the design based on findings, testing adjustments with users as necessary.

Card sorting is a valuable method for aligning a website or app's information architecture with user expectations. By understanding how users categorize and label content, teams can create more intuitive navigation and improve overall usability. This leads to a better user experience and can positively impact business outcomes.

Enhances user understanding of content organization.

Improves navigation and usability of digital products.

Reduces the risk of misaligned information structures.

Facilitates clearer decision-making in design processes.

Supports collaboration among team members by providing user insights.

A product team at a health and wellness app company is tasked with improving the app's navigation. Users have reported difficulty in finding specific features, such as workout plans, nutrition tracking, and community forums. To address this issue, the team decides to conduct a card sorting session. The team consists of a UX researcher, a designer, a product manager, and a software engineer.

During the card sorting session, the UX researcher prepares a set of cards, each labeled with different app features and content categories. Participants, who are current users of the app, are asked to organize these cards into groups that make sense to them. Some users may group workout plans and nutrition tracking together, while others might prefer to keep them separate. The designer observes the session to understand user preferences in real-time, while the product manager takes notes on any recurring themes.

After the session, the UX researcher analyzes the results to identify patterns in how users categorize the app's content. The findings reveal that users expect related features to be grouped together, which informs the redesign of the app's information architecture. The designer collaborates with the engineer to implement these changes, resulting in a more intuitive navigation system that aligns with user expectations. Ultimately, card sorting helps the team create a user-friendly experience, reducing frustration and enhancing user satisfaction with the app.

Card sorting is particularly useful during the design phase of a project to understand how users organize and label information. This method helps ensure that the information architecture aligns with user expectations.

Discovery: Identify user mental models by gathering insights on how they categorize content.

Design: Create an intuitive navigation structure based on user-organized groups and labels.

Usability Testing: Validate the effectiveness of the proposed information architecture by comparing it to user-organized structures.

Content Strategy: Determine the optimal way to present information to users based on their preferences for grouping and labeling.

Redesign: Assess existing information architecture by comparing it with user expectations to identify areas for improvement.

Onboarding: Develop training materials or help content that aligns with how users naturally categorize information.

Teams may struggle with card sorting due to misunderstandings about its purpose, organizational constraints, and challenges in interpreting the data. Without a clear grasp of how to effectively implement and analyze card sorting, teams risk drawing inaccurate conclusions about user preferences.

Misunderstanding of Objectives: Teams may confuse card sorting with usability testing. Ensure that participants understand their role in organizing content rather than testing a design.

Participant Bias: Users may be influenced by their prior knowledge or experiences. Select a diverse group of participants to mitigate this bias and represent a broader range of user perspectives.

Limited Sample Size: A small number of participants can lead to unreliable data. Aim for a larger sample size to capture a variety of user mental models.

Data Interpretation Challenges: Analyzing and interpreting results can be complex. Use clear criteria for categorization and consider involving multiple team members in the analysis to gain diverse insights.

Organizational Constraints: Stakeholders may have pre-existing ideas about information structure, which can hinder open-mindedness. Facilitate discussions to align team expectations before conducting the sorting session.

Inflexibility of Results: Card sorting outcomes may be difficult to implement if they conflict with existing designs or business goals. Prioritize user insights while balancing them with practical considerations in the design process.

Lack of Follow-up: Without subsequent validation, findings from card sorting may not translate into effective design changes. Plan for follow-up usability testing to confirm that the new structure meets user needs.

Card sorting can be supported by various methods and tools that facilitate the organization and analysis of information structures.

Methods

Open Card Sorting: Participants create their own categories for the cards, allowing for exploration of user-defined groupings.

Closed Card Sorting: Participants sort cards into predefined categories, helping to validate existing structures.

Hybrid Card Sorting: A combination of open and closed methods, where some categories are predefined while others are user-defined.

Remote Card Sorting: Conducting card sorting sessions online, enabling participation from users in different locations.

Moderated Card Sorting: A facilitator guides participants through the sorting process, providing context and probing for insights.

Tools

Card Sorting Software: Platforms designed specifically for conducting card sorting sessions, often with analytics features.

Remote Testing Platforms: Tools that support online user testing, including card sorting functionalities.

Survey Tools: General tools that can be adapted to conduct card sorting by using survey formats.

Collaboration Tools: Software that allows teams to work together on card sorting exercises, especially in remote settings.