A talk I gave at the NZ Technical Communicators' Association Conference in 2007 about my methods for analyzing the results of a card sort.

1. Analysing the results of a card sort
& identifying a suitable site structure
Justine Sanderson
Userfaction Ltd

2. 1
Analysing the Results
Spending time with your data

3. 1 Analysing the results
2. List the category names and card groupings
provided by participant
3. Aggregate all the participant-generated
category names and sort alphabetically
4. Look for similarities and standardize
5. Check back that the standardized categories
contain the same cards

4. Spreadsheet
demo

5. Other resources
Other analysis tools
• Cluster analysis; dendograms
• Joe Lamantia’s spreadsheet
• Donna Maurer’s spreadsheet

6. 2
Identifying a site
structure
It doesn’t have to be a hierarchy

7. 2 Identifying a structure
K e y D a te s
e x a m t im e t a b le s
g r a d u a t io n
N e w s & t E avc eh nn tg s d a y s c h a r t
e i
Q u ic k L in k s
e v e n ts y e a r a t a g la n c e cam pus m ap
C E C IL
n o t ic e b o a r d
lib r a r y
s h o rt c o u rs e s nD eva
C o n t in u in g E d u c a t io n s t a f f d ir e c t o r y
U n iv e r s it y c a le n d a r
w e b m a il
A c a d e m ic /T e a c h in g /
S tu d e n ts H R /S ta ff/P e r s o n a l In fo
c a re e r re s o u rc e s F o r m s /P o lic ie s
a d m is s io n s & e n r o lm e n t
C a m p u s /E A P
C P D c o u rAs ec sc e s s / B uv ia l cd a i nn c gi e s c o p y r ig h t r u le s
e x a m t im e t a b le s d is c ip lin a r y a c t io n
c r e c h e / c h ild c a r e c r e c h e a p p lic a t io n
C E C IL p a r k in g
d i s a b i l i tC o emr v pc u st i n g /HI T c o n n e c t
y s i e R in te r n e t s e c u r ity
g r a d u a t io n re c c e n tre
d i s c i pc loi nm abpruyu i ltade cirnt iago cnmc ea si ns tEe E a n c e le a v e fo r m
lib r a r y nO
le a v e p o lic y
nD eva R e s e a rc h h e a l t h c & p sy ar tifgemht yte rt au bl e l es s h o r t c o u r s e s
ous i
b
p la g ia r is m & c h e a t in g H R c o n ta c ts m e d ia c o n t a c t g u id e lin e s
l e a v de ki ae l -y i nca on nc ter e sl s
bal a co
r o o m b o o k in g s lib r a r y p la g ia r is m & c h e a t in g
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lp p k a
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i
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nt c o d e s f in a n c e f o r m s
te a c h in g a w a r d s re s e a rc h d a ta b a s e accoun
IT A c c e s s fo rm s
te a c h in g d a y s c h a r t r e s e a rc h r e p o r ts l e a vw ese ePp c eu oiracptgyyl e cS gaour fditd Fe ilni na en s cr ei ac l rs u i t m e n t i n f o
b op l i
u n is e r v ic e s p gr ou pi d e er t y s e r v i c e s
s t a w f e b m r ae ifl e r r e d s u p p l i e r s
f
SLC p
PBRF p a r k in g a p p lic a t io n
e x a m in a tio n o f fic e s c h ov ea crptsouhrr icpa hsr at /f slooi rng go tsa f f
l s
a c c e s s h o u rs
t u it io n f e e s o f f ic e C o n t i InT u iAn cg c E sd su cf oa rt imo ns
e s tu ff
tra v e l
s tu d e n t r e c o r d s p r o mp ofoi w i ae nr pc/ coe oi nfnott ri tnm umsa pt i oa nt e s
p o w e r p o in t t e m p la t e s nt o n e l
e q u a l e m ep cl ot oy rm a er tn/ lt o og po ps o r t u n i t y
v
c o lle c t iv e e m p lo y m e n t a g r e e m e n t s

8. ! Issues
Methodology | Hierarchies | Labelling

9. 1 Card Sorting Issues
• Card sorting evaluates how people categorize
things when they see ALL of the content
- BUT -
• When visiting websites, visitors do NOT
know all the information contained on the
website

10. Example
• Sports
• Rugby – Rugby
• Surfing – Netball
– Tennis
• Netball
• Fishing
• Hobbies
• Tennis – Fishing
• Tramping – Tramping
– Surfing

11. Example
Sports Hobbies
Surfing?

12. 2 Hierarchy issues
“ People keep pretending they
can make things
hierarchical, categorizable,
and sequential when they
can't. Everything is deeply
intertwingled.
”
— Ted Nelson

13. Measures of a good
hierarchy

14. Indistinct Categories
If users have to visit all 3
categories, the distinction
may not be clear enough

15. 3 Labelling Issues
1. Merge categories
2. Split categories
3. Rename
4. Explain

16. Tips to improve labelling
• Avoid high-level, non-words
• Make labels longer, more explanatory
• Provide explanatory text
• Show the children of that category
• Rename and retest

17. Width vs. depth
It is better to have:
• MORE finer-grain categories
- than -
• LESS high-level categories

18. Traditional navigation
schemes

19. Alphabetical
Topics
Audiences

20. Alternative models
• Alphabetical
• Chronological
• Geographical
• Guided maps
• Lifestages
• Facets
• A combination of the above

21. 1 Alphabetical
Topics
• Animals A-Z Index
– Dog Registration • Beach water quality
– Possum Control • Dog Registration
– …
• Possum Control
• Environmental Care
• Water conservation
– Beach water quality
– Water conservation
– …

22. 2 Chronological
• Press Releases
– 2007
– 2006
– 2005

23. 3 Geographical
• Councillors
– Northern Ward
– Central Ward
– Eastern Ward

24. 4 Guided Maps/Lifestages
Next : Employee Benefits >

25. Questions?
Thank you!
justine@userfaction.com