what is it
Card sorting helps uncover user’s mental models for better information architecture, and understand how to organize information in a way so that other people can find it. In an open card sorting exercise, users are asked to cluster the cards based on affinities, and assign the name they want to each of the groups. While in a closed card sorting exercise, users are asked to organize the individual cards into predetermined categories. Card sorting can be either moderated or unmoderated by the facilitator, it can be counducted on paper or using digital tools.
use it to
Learn what items go together based on users’ mental models, or to test how intuitive specific labels are.
remember to
Limit the number of cards so it doesn’t become overwhelming, and randomize the order of presentation.
references
(2009) Donna Spencer, Card Sorting. Designing Usable Categories, Rosenfeld Media.
www.nngroup.com www.usability.gov www.interaction-design.org