Card Sorting

What is Card Sorting?

Card sorting is a research method in which study participants place individually labeled cards into groups according to criteria that make the most sense to them. It is widely employed in designing navigation, menus, and information architecture for websites, apps, and other digital products.

How does a Card Sort aid in understanding users' mental models?

A mental model is the internal representation users have about how something works. It reflects their expectations, knowledge, and experiences related to a product or system. When users interact with a product, they rely on these mental models to navigate, find information, or complete tasks.

Card sorting provides a window into these mental models by revealing how users naturally group and label information. By analyzing how participants organize content during a card sort, you can better align your product's structure with their expectations, reducing cognitive load and improving usability.

What are the different of Card Sorting?

1. Open Card Sorting

Participants create their own categories and assign cards to them. Best for exploring how users naturally group items when there is no predefined structure.

2. Closed Card Sorting

Participants sort cards into predefined categories provided by the researcher. Useful for validating an existing structure or testing specific hypotheses.

3. Hybrid Card Sorting

Participants can place cards into predefined categories but can also create new ones if necessary. Offers a balance between exploratory and confirmatory insights.

When should you use Card Sorting in research?

Card sorting is particularly valuable in scenarios such as;

1. Designing or refining a website’s navigation menu.

2. Organizing complex information for dashboards or portals.

3. Identifying user preferences for content grouping and labeling.

What are the steps to conduct a successful card sorting session? 

1. Define Objectives - Clarify the goals of the session, such as improving navigation or validating a taxonomy.

2. Create the Cards - Each card represents an item, feature, or piece of content relevant to your product. Ensure cards are clear, concise, and unambiguous.

3. Choose Categories (for Closed/Hybrid Sorts) - Develop predefined categories based on existing knowledge or hypotheses. Avoid overlap unless introducing polyhierarchy intentionally.

4. Select Participants - Recruit users who represent your target audience.

5. A sample size of 5–15 participants for qual and 30+ participants for quant often provides meaningful insights.

6. Conduct the Session - Provide clear instructions on how to sort the cards. Use physical cards for in-person sessions or digital tools like Optimal Workshop or UXtweak for remote sessions.

7. Analyze the Results - Look for patterns in how participants grouped items. Pay attention to frequently grouped items and outliers.

8. Iterate on Design - Use the insights to refine your navigation, taxonomy, or information structure. Test the updated structure with real users to validate improvements.

What are some of the things to consider during card sort? 

1. Polyhierarchy - Some items may fit into multiple categories. For instance, "Hoodies" could belong to both "Tops" and "Outerwear." Decide if and how overlapping categories should appear in your final design.

2. Encouraging users to think out loud during this process can help you understand why they are making certain placement decisions.

3. Label Clarity - Use labels that are intuitive and meaningful to your users. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms unless your audience is highly specialized.

4. Group Size - Encourage collaboration in group card sorting sessions to gain insights into collective decision-making processes. In individual sessions, focus on personal preferences and reasoning.

How do I analyse this data? 

1. Collect and organize your data - Gather the results from your card-sorting sessions and organize them in a way that makes it easy to review. For digital sorts, this might mean exporting the data into a structured format. For physical sorts, ensure all groupings and placements are recorded clearly.

2. Identify patterns and common groupings - Look for consistent groupings or patterns across participants. For example;

• Which cards were frequently placed together?

• Are there recurring themes in how groups were labeled?

If multiple participants group cards differently, it may reveal diverse ways users think about the content.

3. Add context with qualitative insights - Combine your findings with feedback from participants to understand their thought processes. Ask questions like;

• Why did they group certain items together?

• Were any cards difficult to place, and why?

This helps uncover whether challenges are due to unclear labels or mismatched content, making your findings more meaningful and actionable.