Card sorting

Draft

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Introduction

According to Donna Spencer and Todd Warfel, “Card sorting is a quick, inexpensive, and reliable method, which serves as input into your information design process. Card sorting generates an overall structure for your information, as well as suggestions for navigation, menus, and possible taxonomies.”

Typical information that can be found is:

• How do users want to see the information grouped, e.g. by various subjects, by processes, by type of information, etc.
• How many main categories can be identified
• Are there different groups of users with different needs ?

Alternative methods:

• Affinity diagram

There exist two primary variants:

In Open card sorting, the most popular method, the participants are given cards with no pre-established groupings. In closed card sorting, participants are asked to place cards into existing groups. Below we shall describe open card sorting.

Open card sorting method

Card sorting can be performed with a software tool or physical cards. According to most practitioners, physical cards provide better results. However, using an online program allows to bring distance participants and the whole preparation and analysis process is faster...

Preparation

Card sorting can be performed by individuals or small groups. Group sorts provide for richer data, since participants are likely to discuss and the designer can listen in. Individuals however may provide a more accurate variety of views. It is probably better to do group sorts in an early planning stage and individual sorting in a later stage, in particular if you are planning to create a large and complex web site.

Prepare a list of items that summarize all the information and services you plan to have in your website. These items can be collected from early requirements documents, from other similar websites, from brainstorming, etc. Typically you should have between 30 and 100 items.

Create a card for each item. Make sure that the cards are large enough so that participants can read it when spread out. If the meaning of items is not obvious, then you can print an explanation underneath or in the back.

The sorting procedure

(1) Shuffle the cards (each participant/group should get them in a different order)

(2) Ask the participants to group items in a way that makes sense to them.

(3) Ask participants to name the resulting groups of cards.

Analysis

Firstly find out whether there is a large consensus on the global structure (groupings and labels. In particular pay attention to items for which consensus doesn't exist or participants who see things differently.

Spreadsheets can show how often a card shows in a category, etc.

Various statistical techniques may be used identify clusters.

See various software tools listed below ....

Tools

• optimalsort (commercial online card sorting tool, with a free account you get 10 people with 3 tasks each for Treejack and Chalkmark, or 30 cards for OptimalSort).
• websort (commercial online card sorting tool, free for 10 participant limit)
• spreadsheet I use to analyse card sort data
• The method of sorting (Generic sorting software)
• Web Category Analysis Tool (WebCAT) (2005). Lets the usability engineer quickly construct and conduct a simple category analysis across the web. It is a variation upon traditional card sorting techniques.
• xSort is a free card sorting application for Mac OS X only. Assists both card sorting and various can of analysis.

Links

Indexes of articles

• Card sorting list of introductory and discussion articles, by Dey Alexander.

Introductions

• Card sorting at usabilitynet.net. A short introduction.

• Card Sorting Another short intro at usabilityfirst.com

• Card sorting: a definitive guide, by Donna Spencer and Todd Warfel on 2004/04/07