Learn about card sorting, when to run a card sorting test, and how to with the UserTesting platform. |
This article applies to: UserTesting
On this page:
- About Card sorting
- Why is Card sorting useful?
- When should you do Card sorting?
- Card sorting with UserTesting
About Card sorting
- Card sorting is a research methodology that can help you discover how people understand and categorize information.
- In a card sort, contributors 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 items in a retail store.
- There are three types of card sorts: open, closed, and hybrid:
Open card sort | Closed card sort | Hybrid card sort |
Contributors place items in groups and name the categories. | Contributors place items into predefined categories. | Contributors place items in predefined categories and also have the option to create and name additional categories if the existing categories do not match their expectations. |
Why is Card sorting useful?
- You can use the results of a card sort to figure out how people group and name content and information.
- These contributor insights can guide you when designing or assessing information architecture to ensure it’s organized in a way that makes the most sense to your audience.
When should you do Card sorting?
- It’s best to do a card sort when you want to understand how contributors group a specific set of items or tasks.
- For example, maybe you’re looking for the most logical place to insert a “Fitness Trackers” category on your online electronics store; thus you may consider a card sorting activity to see if it fits in a predetermined category, or when your customers have a better idea of where it should be placed
- Card sorts are typically executed in the early stages of the design process.
- One common use case is when you’re launching a new website or app or redesigning an existing website/app, and you need to group information in the most logical way possible.
- In these cases, card sorting can tell you where people would expect to find a category on your site.
Card sorting with UserTesting
- Select the Card sort task when creating your test plan in the UserTesting platform.
- Then, build out the card sort itself using the card sorting app.
- Contributors will think out loud as they complete the card sort, so you can observe their behavior and listen to their feedback as they work through the activity.
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