💡 Why Use Card Sorting?
As designers, we often design based on assumptions or internal business logic. But your users may think differently — and card sorting helps you bridge that gap.
Benefits:
Improves information architecture and navigation
Uncovers users' mental models
Highlights confusing labels or categories
Validates your content grouping decisions
📦 Types of Card Sorting
There are three main types of card sorting, each with a specific purpose:
🔓 1. Open Card Sorting
Users create their own categories and groupings.
Best for exploratory research, when you don't have predefined categories.
Useful in early-stage projects.
Example: You give participants a set of product names (e.g., t-shirts, jackets, heels, jeans), and they organize them into their own groups and name them — like “Tops,” “Bottoms,” “Footwear.”
🔒 2. Closed Card Sorting
You provide predefined categories, and users sort content into them.
Best when you're validating an existing IA or redesigning.
Helps test how well your categories make sense to users.
Example: You provide categories like “Electronics,” “Home & Garden,” “Beauty,” and ask users to sort product items accordingly.
🔄 3. Hybrid Card Sorting
A mix of open and closed.
Users can use predefined categories and create new ones if needed.
Best when you want structure but are open to new insights.
Example: Users can sort content into existing labels, but if they feel a new category is needed, they can add it.
🧠 When Should You Use Card Sorting?
Use it when you:
Are building a new website or app
Need to redesign or restructure menus, navigation, or IA
Want to understand how users expect to find content
Are naming or categorizing content-heavy elements like product catalogs or help centers
🧰 Tools for Card Sorting (Remote & In-Person)
Online Tools:
🧩 UXtweak
🗃 Google Sheets or Airtable (for low-fi, remote sessions)
In-Person:
Sticky notes & pens
Index cards
Table space or whiteboards
📋 Step by Step Process
Define the Goal : Are you exploring how users group content or validating an existing structure?
Choose a Method : Open, Closed, or Hybrid?
Prepare Your Cards
Each card = one topic, item, or piece of content.
Keep labels clear, jargon-free, and concise.
Recruit Participants : Ideally 15–20 participants from your target user group.
Conduct the Session
In person: Ask participants to sort cards into groups.
Online: Use tools to track sorting, naming, and patterns.
Analyze Results
Look for common groupings, outliers, and patterns.
Use dendrograms, similarity matrices, or visual maps (provided by tools like OptimalSort).
Apply Learnings : Use the insights to build or improve your navigation or content structure.
🧾 Real World Example
Let’s say you're designing the IA for an e-commerce fashion website. You want to organize your product catalog in a way that makes sense to your customers.
You list items like:
T-shirts
Jeans
Skirts
Sneakers
Sunglasses
Jackets
Heels
Scarves
In an Open Card Sort:
Users might group them like this:
Tops: T-shirts, Jackets
Bottoms: Jeans, Skirts
Footwear: Sneakers, Heels
Accessories: Sunglasses, Scarves
They might even rename categories — for example, “Shoes” instead of “Footwear.”
These groupings reveal how your actual users think, helping you create a more intuitive menu.
📊 How to Analyze Card Sorting Data
You can analyze card sorting data by:
Identifying most common groupings
Using similarity matrices (tools like OptimalSort auto-generate this)
Reviewing category labels users apply (especially in open sort)
Spotting confusion or disagreement across participants (important outliers!)
⚠️ Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Using too many cards (stick to 30–40 max)
Adding unclear or ambiguous labels
Ignoring outlier groupings — they often point to unmet user expectations
Forgetting to analyze label choices in open sorting
📋 What is important during a Card Sorting session?
It is important to avoid overlapping terms or concepts between the cards, as they are often grouped together, potentially influencing the research results.
Ensure an adequate number of participants (15-25) for representative outcomes.
Provide participants with the option to add comments for a deeper understanding of their thought process.
Utilize a combination of open and closed card sorting for a more comprehensive perspective.
✅ Key Takeaways
Card sorting is a low-cost, high-value UX method.
Helps align your content with user expectations.
Useful for menu structures, site maps, and product categories.
Combine it with tree testing for validating the structure afterward.
📥 Want to try it yourself?
MIRO templates https://miro.com/miroverse/card-sorting-template/
📚 Good Reads
