Standardize multiple categories in an Open Card Sort

Use these steps to standardize multiple categories in an Open Card Sort.

 

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On this page:

• About Standardization and Agreement Level
• Standardize selected categories
• Edit a standardized category
• Unstandardize categories
• Create a standardized category based on the Agreement Level
• Standardization and Agreement when filters are applied

 

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About Standardization and Agreement Level

Standardization

• Standardization for the results of open Card Sorts allows you to:
  • Combine similar or identical categories along with their cards.
  • Give the standardized Category a name of your choice.
• This saves you from having many similar yet separate Categories and facilitates your analysis.
• If the labels participants give Categories are similar, it's important to thoroughly check what cards have been included as they could be very different.
• Standardization is applied at the study level.
  • It affects how other users see the results of a specific Card Sort.
  • The tabs in the Data section that are affected are
    • Cards
    • Categories & Results Grid
• To spot standardized Categories at a glance, remember that only standardized categories have the Agreement and Edit columns populated on the Categories tab in the Data section.

 

Agreement Level

• The Agreement Level is presented as a percentage and indicates how much the participants who created the original categories agree on the content of your new standardized Category.
• This allows you to decide whether it makes sense to combine the selected categories or not.
• An agreement level higher than 60% is considered good, but it's better to aim for 80% or above.

 

 

Standardize selected categories

1. Go to the Results section of your study.
2. In the menu on the left, select Ratios & Responses.
3. Go to the Open Card Sort.
4. Under Data, go to the Categories tab.
5. Use the checkbox on the left to select the Categories to standardize.
6. Click Standardize.
7. In the modal window, you can:
   • Give the standardized Category a name.
   • Look at Categories to merge based on the Agreement Level.
8. Click Create.

 

 

Edit a standardized category

1. Go to the Open Card Sort.
2. Under Data, go to the Categories tab.
3. Do one of the below:
   • Click the Edit field icon next to the Standardized Category to edit.
   • Select only the Standardized Category to edit using the checkbox on the left, then click Standardize.
4. In the modal window, you can:
   • Give the standardized Category a name.
   • Click a Category to see which Cards are included in it.
   • Click a Card to see which Categorie(s) it belongs to.
   • Deselect/select the Categories to standardize to adjust the Agreement Level.
5. Click Save.

 

 

Unstandardize categories

• When you unstandardize Categories, they are unmerged and their labels go back to the ones given by the participants.
• This impacts how other users see the results.

 

To unstandardize Categories, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Open Card Sort.
2. Under Data, go to the Categories tab.
3. Select one or more Standardized Categories using the checkbox on the left.
4. Click Unstandardize.

 

 

Create a standardized category based on the Agreement Level

• After standardizing Categories, you will view the selected categories and cards they include in the Standardization modal window.
• The modal helps you make an informed decision on categories to include in the standardized category by:
  • Clicking a Category (column on the left) to see the cards that belong to it.
  • Clicking a Card (column on the right) to see to which Categories it belongs.
  • Selecting or deselecting Categories and see how this impacts the Agreement Level.
• If some of the categories selected for Standardization were already standardized, they are shown in the modal window along with the original individual categories.

 

 

Standardization and Agreement when filters are applied

• If you apply a filter that hides some participants, it will also hide the categories that these participants created.
• If any of these hidden categories were previously standardized:
  • The Agreement Level for the standardized Categories will take into account the applied filter.
  • Any categories standardized before applying the filter will not be modified.
  • If you try to modify standardized categories, you are warned that the standardized category includes other categories hidden by the current filter.

 

 

Related content

Want to learn more? Check out these Knowledge Base articles...  Create a Card Sort Configure Card Sort tasks	Interested in growing your skills? Check out our University courses... Card Sorts Tree Tests
Need hands-on training? Find a live, virtual class that fits your needs. Enroll in one of our UserZoom certification programs.	Can't find your answer? Reach out to Support or our Professional Services team.

 

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