Card sorting

Draft

<pageby nominor="false" comments="false"/>

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

Methods

There exist two primary methods

Tools

• optimalsort
• websort (online tool)
• 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.

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