What is Card Sorting?

Card sorting is a user research method used to gather insights into how people categorize and organize information. In card sorting, participants are presented with a set of cards, each containing a piece of information or a topic, and are asked to group the cards into categories that make sense to them.

Card sorting can be done in-person, where the participant physically moves the cards around on a table or board, or it can be done online using digital tools. There are two main types of card sorting:

1. Open Card Sorting: Participants are given cards and asked to create their own categories and label them. This method is useful for discovering how people naturally group information and what terminology they use to label the groups.
2. Closed Card Sorting: Participants are given pre-defined categories and asked to sort the cards into these categories. This method is useful when testing existing information architecture or when trying to validate a proposed categorization system.

Card sorting can be used in various fields, including user experience design, information architecture, content strategy, and marketing research, to name a few. The results of a card sorting study can inform the design of websites, apps, or other digital products, and help ensure that the information is organized in a way that makes sense to the users.

How to Run Open Card Sorting?

To run an open card sorting exercise, you can follow these general steps:

1. Define your objectives: Start by defining the research questions or objectives for the card sorting exercise. What do you hope to learn from the participants? What specific information or content are you trying to organize? Defining clear objectives will help guide the study and ensure that you collect the insights you need.
2. Create your cards: Write or print each item or topic on a separate card. It’s important to keep the items or topics brief and concise, so they can be easily moved around and grouped. You can use index cards or digital tools to create your cards.
3. Recruit participants: Decide on your target audience and recruit participants who fit the profile. You can use various methods to recruit, such as social media, email lists, or in-person recruitment.
4. Conduct the sorting exercise: Provide the participants with the set of cards and ask them to sort the cards into groups that make sense to them. Encourage them to create as many groups as they need and to give each group a label that represents the contents.
5. Collect data: Record the grouping and labeling data from each participant, either by taking notes or by using a digital tool to track the results. You may also want to capture any comments or feedback from the participants.
6. Analyze the data: Once you’ve collected the data, you can analyze it to identify common groupings and themes. You can use techniques such as affinity diagramming or cluster analysis to identify patterns and insights.
7. Synthesize the results: Use the results of the open card sorting exercise to inform your information architecture or content strategy. Identify any common patterns or themes that emerged from the study and use them to develop a more user-centered approach to organizing the information or content.

Remember that the success of the open card sorting exercise relies on the quality of the data collected. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that participants understand the instructions and are comfortable with the exercise. You may want to do a practice run or provide participants with a short tutorial before starting the exercise.

How to Run Closed Card Sorting

To run a closed card sorting exercise, you can follow these general steps:

1. Define your objectives: Start by defining the research questions or objectives for the card sorting exercise. What do you hope to learn from the participants? What specific information or content are you trying to organize? Defining clear objectives will help guide the study and ensure that you collect the insights you need.
2. Create your cards and categories: Write or print each item or topic on a separate card. Then create a set of categories to which the cards will be sorted. The categories should be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, meaning that each card should fit into one and only one category, and all cards should fit into one of the categories. You can use index cards or digital tools to create your cards and categories.
3. Recruit participants: Decide on your target audience and recruit participants who fit the profile. You can use various methods to recruit, such as social media, email lists, or in-person recruitment.
4. Conduct the sorting exercise: Provide the participants with the set of cards and ask them to sort the cards into the categories you have defined. You may want to provide participants with a short tutorial or explanation of the categories before starting the exercise. Encourage them to take notes or comment on their thought process as they sort the cards.
5. Collect data: Record the categorization data from each participant, either by taking notes or by using a digital tool to track the results. You may also want to capture any comments or feedback from the participants.
6. Analyze the data: Once you’ve collected the data, you can analyze it to identify common categorizations and insights. You can use techniques such as frequency analysis or statistical analysis to identify patterns and insights.
7. Synthesize the results: Use the results of the closed card sorting exercise to validate or refine your information architecture or content strategy. Identify any common patterns or themes that emerged from the study and use them to develop a more user-centered approach to organizing the information or content.

Remember that the success of the closed card sorting exercise relies on the quality of the categories defined. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider the categories and ensure that they make sense to your target audience. You may want to do a pilot study or get feedback on the categories from a small group of people before starting the main study.

Which Card Sorting is Good Closed or Open?

Whether to use closed or open card sorting depends on the research objectives and the stage of the design process. Both methods have their strengths and weaknesses and can be appropriate for different situations.

Open card sorting is useful when you want to gather insights about how people naturally organize information or how they think about a particular domain. This method allows participants to create their own categories and labels, which can provide a more comprehensive understanding of their mental models. Open card sorting is often used in the early stages of the design process to generate ideas for organizing content or to evaluate the effectiveness of an existing structure.

Closed card sorting, on the other hand, is useful when you want to validate a proposed information architecture or taxonomy. This method allows you to test whether your categories make sense to your target audience and whether they can accurately sort items into the categories. Closed card sorting can be used in the later stages of the design process when you have a proposed structure and need to ensure that it meets the needs of your users.

In summary, open card sorting is better suited for exploring new ideas and gathering insights about how people organize information, while closed card sorting is better suited for testing a proposed structure and validating whether it meets the needs of your users. Depending on the research objectives, both methods can provide valuable insights and should be chosen based on the specific needs of the research project.

Tips

Here are some tips for conducting a successful card sorting exercise:

Define your research questions and objectives: Before starting the card sorting exercise, clearly define your research questions and objectives. This will help guide the study and ensure that you collect the insights you need.

1. Choose the appropriate method: Choose the appropriate card sorting method based on your research objectives and the stage of the design process. Open card sorting is useful for exploring new ideas and gathering insights about how people organize information, while closed card sorting is better suited for testing a proposed structure and validating whether it meets the needs of your users.
2. Use a diverse sample: Make sure to recruit a diverse sample of participants who represent the target audience of your product or service. This will help ensure that the insights you gather are relevant and representative of your users.
3. Keep instructions clear and concise: Provide clear and concise instructions for the card sorting exercise, including any tutorial or explanation of the categories. This will help ensure that participants understand the exercise and can complete it effectively.
4. Use a neutral facilitator: Use a neutral facilitator who does not have a stake in the outcome of the study. This will help ensure that the results are unbiased and accurate.
5. Encourage note-taking: Encourage participants to take notes or comment on their thought process as they sort the cards. This will help you understand the reasoning behind their categorization decisions.
6. Analyze the results: Analyze the data to identify common categorizations and insights. Use the results to validate or refine your information architecture or content strategy.
7. Iterate and refine: Use the insights from the card sorting exercise to iterate and refine your design. Continuously test and validate your design with your target audience to ensure that it meets their needs and expectations.

By following these tips, you can conduct a successful card sorting exercise that provides valuable insights to inform your design decisions.

Card Sorting Calendar

A card sorting calendar can be a useful tool to help plan and organize your card sorting exercise. Here are some general steps you can use to create a card sorting calendar:

Define your research questions and objectives: Start by clearly defining the research questions and objectives for your card sorting exercise. This will help guide the study and ensure that you collect the insights you need.

1. Choose the appropriate method: Decide which card sorting method you will use based on your research objectives and the stage of the design process.
2. Determine your timeline: Determine the timeline for your card sorting exercise, including the start and end dates and any milestones you need to meet. Keep in mind the time needed for preparation, recruitment, and data analysis.
3. Create a recruitment plan: Create a plan for recruiting participants, including the target audience, recruitment methods, and any incentives you will provide.
4. Develop your cards and categories: Develop the cards and categories for the card sorting exercise, and ensure that they are clear, concise, and relevant to the research objectives.
5. Pilot test the exercise: Conduct a pilot test of the card sorting exercise with a small group of participants to test the clarity and effectiveness of the instructions and materials.
6. Conduct the exercise: Conduct the card sorting exercise with your target audience, and encourage note-taking and feedback from participants.
7. Analyze the data: Analyze the data collected from the card sorting exercise, and identify common patterns and insights.
8. Synthesize the results: Use the insights from the card sorting exercise to inform your design decisions and make any necessary changes to your information architecture or content strategy.

By using a card sorting calendar, you can effectively plan and execute your card sorting exercise, and ensure that you collect the insights you need to inform your design decisions.