👋🏻 Introduction
❓ Have you used [product X]?
Yes / No
❓ How often do you use [product X]?
Single Select
✍️ Context for card sorting
Text Statement
🗂 Drag-and-drop the cards to categorize them as you see fit.
Card Sorting
❓ Please add any additional categories and items that you thought were missing.
Text
❓ Please share any additional thoughts or comments with us.
Text
👋🏻 Thank you
Idea validation

Organize digital taxonomies with card sorting

Understand your users’ mental model through card sorting tasks. This template will help you better understand how users group and categorize information.

Study objectives

  • Gain insight into how users categorize and organize information for a better information architecture.
  • Discover potentially new terminology to better categorize information as users suggest their own in open card sort and follow-up questions.
  • Establish a systematic approach to collect user feedback on organizing digital taxonomies and information architecture.

Understand users’ mental model with card sorting

Create open or closed card sort for a better information architecture

What is this template good for?

  • Card sorting helps you organize and structure content, information, and features within a product or website. It allows for the creation of intuitive navigation systems and logical hierarchies that align with users' mental models and preferences.

  • Card sorting is used to test the usability of existing information architectures or proposed navigation structures. By observing how users categorize and group items, you can identify usability issues, uncover inconsistencies, and validate the effectiveness of navigation schemes.
  • Card sorting is helpful in developing content strategies by helping you understand how users perceive and categorize information. It informs decisions related to content organization, labeling, and terminology to ensure clarity and relevance for the target audience.

Best practices for conducting card sort studies

  • Choose the right method. Decide whether you'll be conducting an open or closed card sort, or a hybrid of both, based on your research goals and the complexity of the information being sorted. Consider factors such as the number of cards, the level of detail, and the desired outcome.

  • Prepare clear instructions. Provide participants with clear and concise instructions on how to perform the card sort. Explain the purpose of the activity, how to group and label the cards, and any specific guidelines or constraints they should follow.
  • Use representative cards. Ensure that the cards used in the sorting activity accurately represent the content, concepts, or features being evaluated. Use descriptive labels and concise wording to make the cards easy to understand and sort.
  • Provide feedback opportunities with follow-up questions. Offer participants the opportunity to provide feedback or ask questions throughout the card sort activity. Encourage open communication and be receptive to participants' comments, suggestions, and concerns.

Getting started

1

Create an account and log in to your Hubble account.

2

Find and select the template to use.

3

Edit the questions and card sorting items as you see fit.

4

Run pilot tests with internal users (ideally, people that are not a part of your project).

5

Preview the study and check if you need to make any last minute changes.

6

Publish the study and wait for the results to come in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is card sorting, and how does it work?

Card sorting is a method to organize and categorize information. Participants are asked to sort cards representing items, concepts, or features into groups based on their perceived relationships.

What types of card sorting methods are there?

There are several types of card sorting methods, including open card sorting, closed card sorting, and hybrid card sorting. In open card sorting, participants create their own groups and labels, while in closed card sorting, participants sort cards into predefined categories. Hybrid card sorting combines elements of both methods.

How do I recruit participants for prototype testing?

By setting up studies in Hubble, you can easily share the study links with your participants. Hubble also offers participant recruitment panel that has access to over 3 million users around the world.

How do I choose the right cards for a card sorting study?

Choose cards that represent the items, concepts, or features you want to evaluate in the card sorting study. Ensure that the cards are clear, concise, and easy to understand, with descriptive labels that accurately represent the content.

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Understand users’ mental model with card sorting

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