Card sorting: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:10, 19 April 2008

Revision as of 01:42, 18 June 2008

Line 3:

{{context|date=April 2008}}

'''Card sorting''' is a suite of techniques used to determine simultaneously, for a set of individuals, an ensemble of categories that group the individuals, and also an appropriate set of inclusion relationships among the categories.

'''Card sorting''' is a method used in [[information architecture]] to help determine which category items should be best places<ref>[http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040719.html Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, July 19, 2004]</ref><ref>[http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide Card sorting: a definitive guide

by Donna Maurer and Todd Warfel]</ref>.

A card sort treats the names of the individuals as given. In an ''open card sort'', the participants who do the sorting are expected to provide their own names for the categories. In a ''closed card sort'', the participants are provided with a predetermined set of category names.

Users are given a set of [[index cards]] with terms already written on them. They then put them into their own logical groupings and title them. As each [[user]] does this independently, common groups will emerge which can then be used for navigation or other purposes.

'''CardA sorting'''card sort is commonly undertaken when designing a methodnavigation usedstructure infor [[informationan architecture]]environment tothat helpoffers determinean whichinteresting categoryvariety itemsof shouldcontent beand bestfunctionality, placessuch as a web site.<ref>[http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040719.html Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, July 19, 2004]</ref> <ref>[http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide Card sorting: a definitive guide

Typically two methods are available: a closed sort and an open sort. A closed sort requires users to put cards into pre-defined categories, while an open sort gives users the freedom to choose and label their own categories.

by Donna Maurer and Todd Warfel]</ref> In that context, the individuals to be organized are those that are significant in the environment. The way that the individuals are organized should make sense to the target audience and cannot be determined from first principles.

The field of [[information architecture]] is founded upon the study of the structure of information. If an accepted and standardized taxonomy exists for a subject, it would be natural to simply apply that taxonomy as a means of organizing both the information in the environment and any navigation to particular subjects or functions.

Card [[sorting]] is often used to help determine the navigational structure of a [[website]] or another information system.

Card sorting is applied when:

* The variety in the items to be organized is so great that no existing taxonomy is accepted as organizing the items.

* The similarities among the items make them difficult to divide clearly into categories.

* Members of the audience that uses the environment may differ significantly in how they view the similarities among items and the appropriate groupings of items.

To perform a card sort, a person representative of the audience is given a set of [[index cards]] with terms already written on them. This person puts the terms into logical groupings, and finds a category name for each grouping. This process is repeated across a population of test subjects.

Various methods can be used to analyze the data. The purpose of the analysis is to extract patterns from the population of test subjects, so that a common set of categories and relationships emerges. This common set is then incorporated into the design of the environment, either for navigation or for other purposes.

Card sorting is an established technique with an emerging literature.<ref>[http://www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/cardsorting/content/bibliography/ Excerpted bibliography from Maurer, Card Sorting, Rosenfeld Media (forthcoming in 2008)]</ref>

== References ==