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Card sorting is a user experience (UX) research technique that helps designers to understand how people group information together. The process involves asking users to sort information or concepts into categories and then analyzing the results to determine how to organize the content on a website or application.
Tips for card sorting exercise:
- Define the scope of the exercise: Identify the specific content or concepts that you want users to sort. Determine the level of detail and complexity required.
- Choose a tool for the exercise: You can use physical cards, digital tools, or specialized software for card sorting exercises. Some popular digital tools include Optimal Workshop, Treejack, and UXSort.
- Recruit participants: Target users who are representative of your target audience. You can use incentives to encourage participation.
- Explain the instructions: Provide clear instructions on how to perform the exercise. Explain the purpose of the exercise, how to sort the cards, and any other guidelines or rules.
- Allow users to sort the cards: Give participants enough time to sort the cards into categories that make sense to them. Make sure they have enough space to work and that they are comfortable.
- Analyze the results: Look for patterns and trends in the way users sorted the cards. Identify which cards were grouped together and the reasons why. This will help you to understand how to organize the content in a way that makes sense to users.
- Implement the findings: Use the results of the card sorting exercise to design the structure and organization of the website or application. Test the design with users to ensure that it is intuitive and easy to use.
This is just one of many UX research techniques that can help you understand your users’ needs and preferences. It should be used in conjunction with other techniques, such as user interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to create a comprehensive picture of the user experience.
Steps:
- Plan and prepare for the exercise: Determine the goals of the exercise, the type of card sorting (open, closed, hybrid), and the content or concepts to be sorted.
- Select participants: Identify and recruit participants who represent the target audience and have a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.
- Create the cards: Create physical or digital cards that contain the information or concepts to be sorted.
- Explain the instructions: Provide clear instructions to participants on how to perform the card sorting exercise, including the goal of the exercise, how to sort the cards, and any constraints or limitations.
- Conduct the exercise: Give participants enough time to sort the cards into categories that make sense to them. Depending on the type of card sorting, you may also ask participants to label the categories.
- Collect the data: Record the sorting results, including the category names and the cards placed in each category. You can use physical or digital tools to capture the data.
- Analyze the results: Look for patterns and trends in the way users sorted the cards. Identify which cards were grouped together and the reasons why. This will help you to understand how to organize the content in a way that makes sense to users.
- Iterate and refine: Based on the insights gained from the card sorting exercise, refine the information architecture, content organization, and navigation structure of the product or service. Test the design with users to ensure that it is intuitive and easy to use.
Advantages
- User-centered approach: User-centered approach that allows designers to gain insights into how users categorize and organize information. This helps designers to create products and services that better meet user needs.
- Low-cost and easy to conduct: Low-cost and easy-to-conduct research method that requires minimal resources. Physical cards can be created inexpensively, and digital tools make it easy to conduct card sorting remotely.
- Flexible: Conducted in different formats, including open, closed, and hybrid card sorting. This flexibility allows researchers to tailor the card sorting exercise to the specific research goals and the needs of the participants.
- Insights into user mental models: Helps designers to understand user mental models, or how users conceptualize and organize information. This understanding can inform the design of information architecture, content organization, and navigation structures that better align with user mental models.
- Allows for comparisons: Allows for easy comparison between different user groups, such as different demographics or levels of expertise. This can help identify patterns and differences in how different user groups categorize and organize information.
Disadvantages
- Limited insights: Only provides insights into how users categorize and organize information. It does not provide insight into why users categorize information in a certain way or how they use the information.
- Possible bias: The results of a card sorting exercise can be biased by the participants’ backgrounds, expertise, and prior experiences. This can limit the generalizability of the results and the conclusions that can be drawn.
- Time-consuming: Depending on the complexity of the information or concepts being sorted, the exercise can be time-consuming for both participants and researchers. This can limit the number of participants or the depth of analysis that can be performed.
- Limited feedback: Does not provide feedback on the usability, functionality, or overall user experience of a product or service. This means that other UX research methods, such as usability testing or user interviews, may be needed to complement the insights gained from card sorting.
- Potential confusion: Participants may become confused or overwhelmed by the amount of information or the complexity of the exercise. This can lead to inaccurate or incomplete sorting results.
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