Card Sorting

[lindsayboylan]

What

Card sorting helps us determine how items should be grouped or prioritized.

Why

• Allowing users to group like-items together allows us to efficiently organized pages and/or content.
• Allowing users to prioritize items helps us understand what to build when.

When

• When adding to or creating new navigation elements
• When planning themes or features
• When we have received feedback that it is difficult to find pages, features, etc.

How

We use Optimal Workshop to run card sorts. This allows us to run them remotely. OW has great reporting and analysis tools to help digest large amounts of data.

• Open card sorts allow users to group items into groups and define these groups.
• Closed card sorts allow users to group items into pre-defined groups.
• Hybrid card sorts have pre-defined groups but allow users to create new groups, as needed.
• A closed card sort with ranking turned on allow us to analyze the average position of a card.

Logistics

General research study steps

1. Create a new project within Optimal Workshop
2. Identify participants and recruit
3. Write screener & follow up questions
4. Set an open and close date
5. Upgrade study, as needed
6. Analyze results
7. Meet with team to decide next steps

Pro Tips