Card Sorting UX: A Powerful Method for Creating Intuitive Website Navigation
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Card sorting UX is a powerful user research method that helps designers understand how users naturally categorize information. By observing how participants group and label items, designers gain valuable insights into the mental models of users and information architecture. This knowledge is then used to create intuitive and user-friendly website navigation and information structures that make sense to the users.

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Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash 

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What is Card Sorting?

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, “Card Sorting is a speciality UX research method used to uncover users’ mental models of the information architecture (IA) of your digital product.” In this process, participants are presented with a set of cards each containing a word or phrase representing a piece of content or functionality on the website. They are then instructed to group the cards based on their understanding and label each group.

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Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash

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Understanding User Mental Models with Card Sorting UX

Card sorting is a deceptively simple yet highly effective technique. It helps designers understand which objects are perceived by users as belonging together, making it easier to create simple navigation and organize information on a website so users can find it with ease. To add to it, card sorting does not require many resources to conduct and is relatively easy to implement. There are three types of card sorting:

• Open Card Sorting: Participants are free to create their own groups and labels, providing valuable insights into their natural categorization of information.
• Closed Card Sorting: Participants are given predefined categories and asked to assign cards to the appropriate groups. This method is helpful for testing existing information architectures.
• Hybrid Card Sorting: Participants start with some predefined categories but are free to create their own as well. This particular type can be deployed in a range of scenarios. For instance, it is great for an IA that is partially complete, and the remaining information needs to be organized. It is also apt for identifying gaps in an existing IA.

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Source : Mental Model by Uxcel

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‍The Benefits of Implementing Card Sorting UX in Your Design Process

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Whether it is to create your website’s information architecture from scratch or to validate an existing one, incorporating card sorting into your UX design process offers numerous advantages. Below, we have listed some for you:

• Improved Information Architecture: By understanding how users naturally group and label information, designers can create an intuitive and user-friendly website navigation menu. This leads to reduced user frustration and increased website usability.
• Enhanced User Experience: A well-organized website with a clear and logical information architecture significantly improves the overall user experience. Users can easily find the information they need, leading to increased satisfaction and engagement. Ease of use helps build confidence among users, which consequently enhances conversion rates and reduces bounce rates.
• Reduced Development Costs: By identifying and resolving potential usability issues early in the design process, card sorting can help reduce development costs and prevent costly redesigns later on. Fewer changes need to be made later on and having a clear understanding of the IA helps developers plan the development process efficiently.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Card sorting provides valuable data that can be used to make informed design decisions. This data-driven approach ensures that the website meets the needs and expectations of its target audience.

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Conducting a Successful Card Sorting UX Research Session

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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‍ In order to gain meaningful insights from a card-sorting workshop, it is important to plan it beforehand. To conduct a successful card sorting session, follow these steps:

1. Define Research Objectives: Clearly define the goals of the card sorting exercise. What specific questions do you hope to answer? For example, how do users categorise website content? What are the most appropriate labels for navigation menus?
2. Recruit Participants: Identify and recruit a diverse group of participants who represent your target audience. Aim for a sample size of 15-20 participants for reliable results.
3. Prepare the Card Set: Create a set of cards containing words or phrases representing all the key pieces of content and functionality on the website.
4. Choose a Card Sorting Method: Select the appropriate card sorting method (open, closed or hybrid) based on the research objectives, that you outlined in Step 1.
5. Conduct the Sessions: Conduct individual or group card-sorting sessions in a comfortable and controlled environment. Provide clear instructions to participants and allow them to work at their own pace.
6. Analyse the Data: Analyse the data collected during the card sorting sessions. Identify common themes and patterns in how participants grouped and labeled the cards. Use card sorting UX tools like Maze or Miro to efficiently analyze and visualize the data.
7. Refine the Information Architecture: Based on the card sorting results, refine the website's information architecture. Create a sitemap that reflects the user's mental models and ensures easy navigation.

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Card Sorting UX Example

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Let's consider a hypothetical e-commerce website selling clothing. A card sorting exercise could be conducted to understand how users categorize different clothing items. Participants might be presented with cards containing terms like "shirts," "pants," "dresses," "shoes," "accessories," "men's," "women's," "kids'," "sale," "new arrivals," etc.By analysing the results, the designers might discover that users naturally group clothing items by gender (men's, women's, kids') and then by category (shirts, pants, dresses). This information can then be used to create a clear and intuitive navigation structure for the website.

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Tools for Conducting Card Sorting UX Research

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There are a plethora of tools out there for you to choose from, each having a range of features. While choosing a tool, compare what each offers and which one best suits your needs. Below is a list of some commonly used tools to help you make a decision. We have categorized them based on the mode in which you may conduct the session - Online or Offline.

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Online Tools

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Online tools offer a lot of flexibility as you are not limited to participants in the same geographical area or timezone as you. Conducting sessions online is also cost-effective as it does not require a venue or planning well in advance. Let us take a look at some popular online tools for card sorting.

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OptimalSort

‍OptimalSort is Optimal Workshop’s card sorting tool that allows for both moderated and unmoderated sessions with the ability to interact with the participants. OptimalSort lets researchers record card sorting sessions and also allows participants to leave a comment on a card sort. Post each session, it automatically analyses and uncovers key insights.

‍Pricing: 7-day free trial with unlimited access. Paid plans starting at $107/month

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Maze

Source : Maze Card Sorting

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‍Card sorting by Maze allows product teams to conduct open and closed card sorting along with automated analytics like auto-grouping and matrix visualizations for the results. Additionally, Maze makes it possible to recruit participants directly through the tool, expediting the research process. ‍

Pricing: Free for individuals. Paid plans start at $25/month

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UXtweak

Source : Card Sorting – The Complete Guide by UXtweak

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‍UXtweak’s Card Sort tool offers open, closed and hybrid card sorting options with useful exploratory and statistical analysis solutions like similarity matrix, dendrograms, and other visualization tools. Similar to Maze, UXtweak lets you recruit participants directly from the platform through their own mailing database. Additionally, there is an option to include follow-up questions after a session which provides a deeper understanding of users’ mental models.‍

Pricing: Free for one study. Paid plans start at €113/month

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Miro

Source: Card Sorting Template by Miro

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Miro is an online whiteboarding tool with dedicated templates for card sorting. Being a whiteboarding tool primarily, it offers the most flexibility to researchers compared to any other tools out there. Researchers can start with a blank canvas and can customize the template to their liking. Additionally, Miro is perfect for analyzing the data received from your card-sorting sessions and identifying common themes.

‍Pricing: Free for up to 3 boards. Paid plans start at $8/month

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Offline Tools

Photo by Andrew Measham on Unsplash‍

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The post-Covid era has seen a rise in online testing methods. While the online mode has some attractive pros, it comes with its cons. For instance, in online mode, it is hard to view participants interacting with the cards in real time or ask follow-up questions during the process. Offline studies enable you to view users’ behaviour and expressions as they categorize the cards. To conduct an offline study, you can use the following tools:

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Index Cards

An index card is a small card that can be used to write something on and store it in a box or file. They are great for card sorting as they come in a range of sizes and colours which can be useful to denote different categories. Their small and uniform size makes it easy to shuffle and rearrange. They are usually inexpensive and easily available at any store that sells office stationery supplies.

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Sticky Notes

Sticky notes offer a similar functionality as index cards along with being sticky. This allows participants to easily attach their groupings to a large surface, like a whiteboard or a wall, making the process more visual and dynamic.

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Whiteboard

A whiteboard serves as the perfect device for offline card sorting. It provides a large, shared space where participants can organize their cards and create their groupings. The whiteboard allows participants to see the overall structure of the information architecture as it emerges. This can be particularly helpful for open card sorting, where participants are creating their categories.

Choosing the right method and tool for you ultimately comes down to what you are looking to get out of a card sorting workshop as well as your budget. In addition to the options we listed, there are a ton of different tools to explore based on your budget and requirements.

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Integrating Card Sorting UX into Your Design Workflow

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Card sorting UX might be extremely helpful at any stage of the project if implemented thoughtfully. It can be integrated into the design workflow at various stages:

• Early Stage: Conduct open card sorting to understand user mental models and inform the initial information architecture.
• Mid-Stage: Conduct closed card sorting to test and refine the existing information architecture.
• Late Stage: Conduct usability testing to evaluate the effectiveness of the final website navigation and information structure.

By consistently incorporating card sorting into your design process, you can ensure that your websites are user-centered, intuitive, and effective.

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Conclusion

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Card sorting UX is a truly invaluable technique for gaining a deep understanding of user behavior and crafting intuitive website navigation. By carefully observing how users naturally categorize information, designers unlock the key to creating digital experiences that are not only easy to use, but also enjoyable and engaging to navigate. This, in turn, leads to websites that are ultimately more successful in achieving their business goals, whether that's driving sales, increasing user engagement, or fostering brand loyalty. The insights gleaned from card sorting empower designers to move beyond guesswork and make data-driven decisions that resonate with their target audience.

By diligently following the guidelines and best practices outlined in this article, you can effectively implement card sorting into your own design process, transforming your approach to website creation and building digital products that users genuinely love. This user-centered approach, facilitated by card sorting, ensures that the final product aligns perfectly with user expectations and mental models, leading to increased user satisfaction and a more positive overall experience. Furthermore, the benefits of card sorting extend beyond just improved navigation. It can also inform content strategy, information architecture, and even the overall design aesthetic, contributing to a cohesive and user-friendly digital ecosystem.

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