C A R D S O R T I N G Designing Usable Categories

b y D ON N A S P E NC E R foreword by Jesse James Garrett

Card sorting is an effective, easy-to-use method for understanding how

people think about content and categories. It helps you create information

that is easy to find and understand. In Card Sorting: Designing Usable

Categories, Donna Spencer shows you how to plan and run a card sort,

analyze the results, and apply the outcomes to your projects.

“A wonderful book on a much-needed topic... Donna’s done an amazing job explaining (in easy-to-understand terms) what every designer, architect, and researcher should know about the ins-and-outs of card sorting.”

JARED M. SPOOL CEO and Founding Principal, User Interface Engineering

“Spencer mixes step-by-step instructions and good examples with just enough theory. You’ll emerge from this book with new skills to create great user-centered information architectures—and smart responses to tricky questions from pesky stakeholders.”

TAMARA ADLIN Founding Partner, Fell Swoop, and co-author of The Persona Lifecycle: Keeping People in Mind Throughout Product Design

“Donna has put together the definitive work on card sorting, a must have tool for all information architects. If you want to plan, run and analyse your own card sorts, this book has it all.”

ANDY BUDDUser Experience Director, Clearleft

“The ultimate guide to one of the under-appreciated user research methods in our toolbox. Whether you work on small web sites or in large corporate environments, this book is just the right size to give you everything you need to know to be a pro at card sorting.”

KEITH INSTONEInformation architecture lead, IBM.com user experience

www.rosenfeldmedia.com

MORE ON CARD SORTINGwww.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/cardsorting/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to Use This Book iiiWho Should Read This Book? iiiWhat’s in This Book? ivWhat Comes with the Book? iv

Frequently Asked Questions viForeword xii

CHAPTER 1All About Card Sorting 1My First Card Sort 3What Is Card Sorting? 4Steps in a Card Sort 5How Card Sorting Is Used 6A Word of Caution 8Complementary User Research Techniques 9Timing of Card Sorts in a Project 12Let’s Get Sorting 13Chapter 1 Summary/Tips 14

CHAPTER 2All About Organizing 15The Challenges of Organizing 16Structure: Hierarchies and Databases 20Classification Schemes 24Categories 31Chapter 2 Summary/Tips 38References 39

CHAPTER 3Defining the Need 43Need to Learn Broad Ideas 44Need to Check You’re on Track 44Need to Explore an Idea in Detail 45Need to Compare People 45Justify a Recommendation 45Setting Goals 46Chapter 3 Summary/Tips 47

CHAPTER 4Choose the Method 51Open or Closed Card Sort 52Team Versus Individual Card Sorts 54Manual Versus Software 55Chapter 4 Summary/Tips 60

CHAPTER 5Choose the Content 61Locating Content 62Tips for Selecting Content 64How Much Content/How Many Cards? 69Working on Large Sites 70Chapter 5 Summary/Tips 71

CHAPTER 6Choose the People 73Choosing a Facilitator 74Choosing the Participants 74Chapter 6 Summary/Tips 81

CHAPTER 7Make the Cards 83Making Physical Cards 84Closed Card Sort: Making Category Cards 87Making “Cards” Using a Software Tool 87Chapter 7 Summary/Tips 88

CHAPTER 8Manage the Sort 93Prepare for Analysis 94Other Supplies 94Before You Start: The Test Run 95Run the Card Sort 96Hand Out the Cards 100Observe the Sort 101Record the Outcomes 104Chapter 8 Summary/Tips 106

CHAPTER 9Use Exploratory Analysis 109Goals and Exploratory Analysis 110Preparing for Exploratory Analysis 112Start the Analysis 117Chapter 9 Summary/Tips 126

CHAPTER 10Use Statistical Analysis 127Goals and Statistical Analysis 128Analyzing the Data 129Chapter 10 Summary/Tips 141

CHAPTER 11Use What You’ve Learned 145Use All Inputs 146Be Practical 147Don’t Assume 147Determine Categories Carefully 148Be Flexible 148Test Your IA 149Don’t Rely on a Technique to Do Your Thinking 150

APPENDIXDocumentation 151Bare-Bones Report 153Detailed Report 153Comprehensive Report 154

Index 155Acknowledgments 161About the Author 162

Open or Closed Card Sort

Open or Closed Card Sort

Open Card Sorts

Open or Closed Card Sort

Closed Card Sorts

What You Can’t Learn

Team Versus Individual Card Sorts

Team Versus Individual Card Sorts

Team Card Sorts

While their hands are busily shu!ing the cards around, I learn all about what they hate about the current site, what they wish the new site would do, and how they never knew that particular utility already existed.

—Torrie Thomas (Aquent)

Individual Card Sorts

Team Versus Individual Card Sorts! !Manual Versus Software

Using Both Methods

Manual Versus Software

Manual

Manual Versus Software

Software

Summary of Software Tools

Optimal Sort www.optimalsort.com/

Manual Versus Software

FIGURE 4.1Optimal Sort’s sorting interface.

WebSort websort.net/

Manual Versus Software

FIGURE 4.2WebSort’s sorting interface.

OpenSort and TreeSort www.themindcanvas.com

Manual Versus Software

FIGURE 4.3OpenSort’s sorting interface.

xSort www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/productivity_tools/

xsort.html

SynCaps www.syntagm.co.uk/design/cardsort.shtml

Chapter 4 Summary/Tips

Chapter 4 Summary/Tips