Card Sorting
Explore how participants group items into categories and relate concepts to one another.
Card sorting is a user research technique used to understand how people categorize and organize information. Participants are given cards, each representing a piece of content or information, and asked to group them in a way that makes sense to them. This method helps designers and researchers understand users' mental models and preferences for organizing information, which can inform the creation or refinement of information architecture, navigation, and content structures for websites or applications.
Card sorting can be done in two main ways: open card sorting, where participants create their own categories, and closed card sorting, where they place cards into pre-defined categories. This technique is primarily exploratory, providing insights into user behavior and preferences, but it can also have evaluative components when used to test existing structures.
The insights gained from card sorting help ensure that the information architecture of a system aligns with user expectations, enhancing usability and user experience.
When running a card sort, these best practices will help in planning a successful activity:
• Select a moderator who is familiar with the content and participants who are the target audience of the content, and who care about the information.
• Work iteratively with individual participants or small groups of participants (no more than three to five people).
• Limit the total number of participants. After 15 sessions, there are diminishing returns on the insight that can be garnered from card sorts.3
• Use 30 to 100 cards, and allow about 30 minutes for each multiple of 50 cards.
• Include blank cards and markers to allow participants to add their own items where needed.
• If there are no consistent patterns emerging after ten card sorts, consider renaming the cards, or reconsider the categories.
Step 1
Define Objectives: Determine what you aim to achieve with the card sorting session, such as understanding user categorization, refining information architecture, or validating existing structures.
Step 2
Prepare Materials: Create a set of cards, each representing a piece of content or information. Decide whether you will conduct an open card sort (where participants create their own categories) or a closed card sort (where categories are pre-defined).
Step 3
Recruit Participants: Select a diverse group of participants representative of your target audience. Ensure you have enough participants to gather meaningful insights, typically between 10-20 people.
Step 4
Conduct the Sorting: Provide participants with the cards and instructions. For open card sorting, ask them to group the cards into categories that make sense to them and name each category. For closed card sorting, ask them to sort the cards into pre-defined categories.
Step 5
Analyze Results: Collect and analyze the data from the sorting session. Look for patterns and commonalities in how participants grouped the cards. Use this information to inform the design or refinement of your information architecture.
