Card Sorting Sessions

Card sorting sessions involve participants organising topics or items into categories that make sense to them, helping teams understand users' mental models and preferences for structuring information.

Goal

The goal is to inform the design of information architecture, navigation, and interfaces by uncovering how target users conceptualise and categorise information, ensuring intuitive user experiences.

Context

The more experience you have with a topic the more difficult it is to see it from a beginner's perspective. Card sorting sessions provide a way to understand how users think about and categorise information, helping to create intuitive and user-friendly structures.

Inputs

ArtifactDescription
Card Sorting DeckA set of topics or items that participants will sort into categories.
Card Sorting CategoriesA set of labels or groups that participants will use to organise the cards if you are performing a closed or hybrid sorting session.
Card Sorting ParticipantsA list of potential participants, including their background and context.

Outputs

ArtifactDescriptionBenefits
Sorting DataRaw data from how participants have categorised the cards.Provides insights into user mental models and categorisation preferences.
Category LabelsThe labels participants have created or used during sorting.Helps identify user terminology and inform taxonomy development.

Anti-patterns

  • Overcomplicating the Session: Including too many cards or categories, leading to participant confusion and fatigue.
  • Ignoring Context: Failing to consider the context in which the information will be used, resulting in misaligned categorisations.
  • Lack of Follow-up: Not validating the findings with users or through usability testing, risking the implementation of ineffective structures.

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