Best practices for card sorting and tree testing

This article explains when to use card sorts and tree tests and how to best leverage them in your studies. Use card sorts when you want to understand how people categorize information. Conduct tree tests to help you evaluate how users navigate and find information in a given site structure.

This article applies to: UserTesting 

On this page:

• Deciding between a card sort and a tree test
• Best practices for card sorting
• Best practices for tree testing

 

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Deciding between a card sort and a tree test

What are you trying to learn from participants?

• Are users confused by your current labeling system?
• How easily do users locate specific information on your website?

Note: Card sort tasks and Tree test tasks can't be used inside a Balanced Comparison group.

Card sorting is a test that helps you discover how people understand and categorize information.

• Participants sort "cards" containing different items into groups.
• Card sorting has many applications, from figuring out how content should be grouped on a website or in an app to deciding how to arrange the items in a retail store.
• Conduct a card sort when you want to...
  • Inform or evaluate a site's information architecture (i.e., the structural design of a website or information environment).
  • Know if your terminology resonates with users.
  • Get ideas as to how something should be labeled.
  • Understand how content should be organized.

Tree testing is a test that helps you evaluate the findability of topics on a website.

• Tree tests are run on text-based versions of websites without navigation aids or design elements (similar to a sitemap).
• Participants are asked to indicate where they would find specific items or topics, helping you evaluate the ease of locating content in a given structure.
• Conduct a tree test when you wish to...
  • Inform or evaluate a site's navigation and information architecture.
  • Identify current issues with your site structure and provide data to compare any improvements.
  • Get feedback on different versions of a proposed site structure.
  • Understand whether your site's terminology resonates with your users.

 

 

Best practices for card sorting

Choose the tool

You have two ways you can run a card sort with UserTesting:

1. The classic card sorting app
2. The integrated card sorting tool in the UserTesting platform

Choose the type of card sort

Run different card sorts depending on what you want to know:

• Open card sorts
  • Users place items (cards) into groups and name the categories.
  • Typically used in the early stages of the development cycle.
  • Allows you to capture the user's perception of the appropriate mental model (i.e., a person's thought process) for the information architecture. 
• Closed card sorts
  • Users are given both items (cards) and categories that are already labeled. They then sort the cards into those established categories.
  • Typically used to validate or categorize/re-categorize the existing information architecture.
• Hybrid card sorts
  • Users are given items (cards) and categories that are already labeled, but they can create their own category labels as well.

Consider using these card sort types during these different stages in your development process:

• Discovery: An open card sort helps inform how participants might understand and categorize information in a new design.
• Build and Design: A closed card sort helps evaluate how the proposed categorization works with design iterations.
• Optimize: A hybrid card sort helps test live designs to capture opportunities for improvement, especially if new elements were added to the existing categorizations.

Card sorting tips

• Use a sample size of 30-50 participants.
• Inform participants in the Other requirements field that this is not a typical usability test and what they'll be required to do.
• Avoid similar terms in your cards and categories that create bias.
  • For example, are you asking where garlic butter sauce goes when you have a category already called sauce? People want to match like items, so having items with similar terminology will bias answers.
• Don't frustrate participants by giving them 500 cards to sort at a time.
  • Most card sorts have 20–60 cards for participants to sort. A good rule of thumb is the "30/30 rule"—about 30 participants per group and 30 cards. 
• You don't want to have too many categories so that it will be overly challenging to sort the cards.
  • Many card sorts have between four to six categories. For hybrid or open card sorts, you will merge categories in your analysis to uncover common themes. 
• To help you learn the "why" behind the "what," consider asking the participants which cards were tough to sort and which categories, labels, or cards were unclear/confusing to help develop your insights further.
• Launch a pilot test first to evaluate the time it takes for a participant to complete the session and then set expectations for the remainder of the participants. 

 

 

Best practices for tree testing

Choose the tool

You have two ways you can run a tree test with UserTesting:

1. The classic tree testing app
2. The integrated tree testing tool in the UserTesting Platform

Choose the tree test approach

• Evaluative tree test: Give participants several tasks to understand the success of a specific navigation structure.
• Comparative tree test: Give participants some tasks and compare the results against another similar or new navigation structure. 

Tree testing tips

• Use a sample size of 30-50 participants.
• Inform participants in the Other requirements field that this is not a typical usability test and what they'll be required to do.
• Conduct tree tests early in the research phase (the “Design and Build” stage) of the development lifecycle, as soon the basic outline of the navigational structure becomes clear.
• Tree tests can also be executed in the “Optimize” stage, after the design has been finalized, helping you determine just how effective the implemented design is.
• We recommend somewhere around five to seven tasks that you ask participants to complete in the session for most tree tests. However, this can be flexible if you need it for a complex tree.
• It is recommended that you test 2–4 tiers of your navigation. This should be sufficient to get reliable results and reveal the different ways contributors might locate information on your site or app.
• To help you learn the "why" behind the "what," consider asking the participants which cards were tough to sort and which categories, labels, or cards were unclear/confusing to help develop your insights further.
• Launch a pilot test first to evaluate the time it takes for a participant to complete the session and then set expectations for the remainder of the participants. 

 

 

Related content

Want to learn more? Check out these Knowledge Base articles...  Tree Testing with UserTesting Create a Card Sorting test with UserTesting	Interested in growing your skills? Check out our University courses... Approaches to testing: Card sorting Approaches to testing: Tree testing
Need hands-on training? Find a live, virtual class that fits your needs. Enroll in one of our UserTesting certification programs.	Can't find your answer? Check out our CommUnity forums. Reach out to Support or our Professional Services team.

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