in g
ort
S gs
Th
ut
O
TOPIC
SPEAKER
An
Presented
Introduction
by
to
Stephen P.
Card
Anderson
Sorting

STEPHEN P.
ANDERSON
poetpainter.com
I help businesses with
‘Product Strategy
& Design’ needs

First, Some Context...

The User
Experience
Iceberg

The User
Experience
Iceberg
>
>

diary
use
business
wireframes site maps
cases
discovery personas scenar
content
future
inventory
storyboards process scenarios
mental design
flows
on directed
models research
interview
nomenclature concept
models
Iterative alignment &
Testing backcasting analysis
gap prototypes
field visit card sorting
task based search log interaction design
sketches
audience analysis concepts
usability
segmentation evaluation competitive
matrix

diary
use
business
wireframes site maps
cases
discovery personas scenar
content
future
inventory
storyboards process scenarios
mental design
flows
on directed
models research
interview
nomenclature concept
models
Iterative alignment &
Testing backcasting analysis
gap prototypes
field visit card sorting
task based search log interaction design
sketches
audience analysis concepts
usability
segmentation evaluation competitive
matrix

“efficient & effective”

WHAT IS IT?
Card sorting is a user-centered design
method for increasing a system’s findability.
The process involves sorting a series of
cards, each labeled with a piece of content or
functionality, into groups that make sense to
users or participants.

How
Web Site
people > Structure
think

color?
shape?
height?

Why are most people
coming to your
church Web site?
Are those people
finding What they
came for? Yes or no?
How do you know?

What (or who)
decided?

How can we insure
that different
people find what
they’re looking for?

card sorting
can help...

There are
different ways
to sort content.
(And the best way may not be
what you were thinking....)

Vegetables?
pineapple
tomato
banana peach carrot
apple eggplant
grapes bell pepper
Fruits?

“Seekers”
&
“Regular Attendees”

“Seekers”
&
“Regular Attendees”

WHY USE IT?
It’s a quick, inexpensive, and reliable method,
which serves as input
into your information design process.
Card sorting generates an overall structure for
your information, as well as suggestions for
navigation, menus, and possible taxonomies.

WHY IS IT USEFUL?
You learn...
✓ how different people think about, organize,
and expect to access your content
✓ a bit about the language/terminology used
by a particular group

problems with labeling:
“heart for the lost”

Uhm. This is a
workshop on how
to sort cards?
Seriously?!

CARD SORTING IS
“deceptively simple”

I’m pretty sure I know how to sort things in a
way that will make sense to our site visitors...
(No, you probably don’t!)

Open Sort / Closed Sort
(which begs the question, “what is your goal?”)

DISCOVER
Open Sort / Closed Sort
(which begs the question, “what is your goal?”)

DISCOVER
Open Sort / Closed Sort
(which begs the question, “what is your goal?”)
VALIDATE

WHAT GOES ON A CARD?
“movie review of
Dark Knight”
VS
“comments on
a movie review”

WHAT GOES ON A CARD?
“movie review of
Dark Knight”
ONE IS A PAGE, THE OTHER
VS IS A PAGE ELEMENT
“comments on
a movie review”

WHAT GOES ON A CARD?
“page listing of all
smartphone”
VS
“Nokia N95”

WHAT GOES ON A CARD?
“page listing of all
smartphone”
ONE OF THESE HAS ALREADY
ENFORCED A CATEGORY...
VS
“Nokia N95”

WANNA GIVE IT A GO?

Sorry, you had to be there!
This was a workshop conducted at the
Ministry 2.0 conference in Austin, TX.
If this seems useful or interesting to you,
I am available for workshops, training
and consulting. <wink, wink>
More at www.poetpainter.com

\"I don't recommend designing an information architecture
based purely on a card sort's numeric similarity scores. ..
Much of the value from card sorting comes from listening
to the users' comments as they sort the cards: knowing why
people place certain cards together gives deeper insight into
their mental models than the pure fact that they sorted
cards into the same pile.\"
-JAKOB NIELSON
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040719.html

Preparing for a typical card sorting
exercise requires the following:
1. Selecting content
• current content areas
• planned/future areas
• free listing with participants
2. Selecting participants
3. Preparing the cards

Labels/descriptions should be short enough
that participants can quickly read the card,
yet detailed enough that participants can
understand what the content is.
other tips:
use 3x5 cards
about 5 people

TIPS:
•run this session with actual site
•make sure objects being sorted
visitors!!! (no proxies!!)
aren't themselves classifications--
make them sortable!
•do use internally, to get different
•don't expect the same results-- groups aligned on issues of labeling/
structure
discrepancies are good
•run with individuals and with groups
•look for more info in the
conversations than in the results
•how someone would sort
•be clear on your intentions-- something, and which areas they
would actually use (or use more
validating (closed sort) or learning
often) are different!
(open sort)
•be clear about your labeling, use a
•don't equate final card sort as your
variety of labels an descriptions.
site structure -- look at this as
(mobile vs clamshell vs flipphone) -
input. translation still required.
unless you are testing labels, as well

http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide

Questions?

Thanks!!
Stephen P. Anderson
www.poetpainter.com
www.slideshare.net/stephenpa