Card Sorting
A research method where participants organize topics into groups that make sense to them, revealing their mental models and informing information architecture decisions.
Definition: A research method where participants organize topics into groups that make sense to them, revealing their mental models and informing information architecture decisions.
Card sorting is a method that falls under the "asking" building block, where you ask participants to organize topics into groups that make sense to them.
Purpose
The goal is to understand your users' mental models to create an intuitive navigation structure. You are essentially having users perform the act of tagging for you.
Types of Card Sorts
Open Card Sort
Participants group topics (on cards) and then create their own names for the groups. They are effectively creating their own taxonomy from the bottom up.
Best for: Early-stage IA design when you do not have a predefined structure.
Closed Card Sort
Participants are given pre-defined group names and must sort the cards into those categories. This is like asking them to apply an existing set of tags.
Best for: Validating whether an existing or proposed structure matches user expectations.
Conducting Card Sorts
Card sorting can be conducted:
- Using specialized online tools (functioning like a survey)
- As a hands-on activity at the beginning of an interview or UX test
Analyzing Results
The output of a card sort reveals:
- How users group related concepts
- What labels feel natural to them
- Where there is agreement (and disagreement) across participants
- Potential gaps or overlaps in your content structure
Related Terms
Information Architecture
The structural design of information environments—how content is organized, labeled, and connected to help users find what they need and understand where they are.
Tree Testing
An evaluative method for validating information architecture by presenting users with a text-only version of a site structure and measuring whether they can navigate to the correct location for given tasks.
Taxonomy
A classification system that organizes concepts into categories. In research, a predefined set of tags or codes used to systematically categorize qualitative data.
Mentions in the Knowledge Hub
This term is referenced in the following articles:
Research Method Explorer
An interactive tool that guides you to the right UX research method based on your goals, constraints, and context.
Information Architecture Research: Card Sorting and Tree Testing
Before you design a single screen, the structure of your content must make sense to users. Card sorting and tree testing are specialized techniques for designing and validating information architecture.