Card Sorting ExerciseSorting Things Out

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

A G E N D A

• What is card sorting• Understanding the context of web design• Mental models• Card sort exercise (individual)• Sharing your card sort• Group processing• Next steps• Early designs by James Breen

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

“The beginning of all understanding is classification”

- Hyden White

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

How do we organize all that information?

Card Sorting can help

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

What is a Card Sort?

A card sort is a user-centered design methodfor increasing a system’s findability.

The process involves sorting a series of cards,each labeled with a piece of content orfunctionality, into groups that make sense tousers or participants.

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

Some context on web design

Surface

Strategy

Scope

Structure

Skeleton

How do people think?

COLOR?

HEIGHT? SHAPE?

Mental Models

“Mental models are deeply held internal imagesof how the world works, images that limit us tofamiliar ways of thinking and acting. Very often,

we are not consciously aware of our mentalmodels or the effects they have on our behavior”

- Peter Senge

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

Mental Models

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

Mental ModelsSe

nder

’s M

atur

ity

Participation

Telling

Testing

Selling

Co-creating

Consulting

QuestionsWhy are most people coming to the site?

Are these people finding what they came for?Yes or NoHow do we know?

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

There are different ways to sort

First Level

VegetablesFruit

Secondary Level

VegetablesFruitCarrots

BeetsPeppers

GrapesBananas

PineapplePotatoes

Pears

Third Level

Vegetables Fruit Carrots

BeetsPeppers

GrapesBananas

PineapplePotatoes Pears

Red PeppersYellow Peppers

Bosc Pears

Why Use Card Sorting?

Quick, inexpensive and reliable methodWhich serves as inputInto the information design process

Card sorting provides suggestions into:navigation, menus and taxonomies

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

Example of a Card Sort

Card Sorting is…

“deceptively simple”

Hiram A. QuinonesBusiness Access LLC

Our Goal Today

Validate categories

Maybe discover new categories

Let’s give it a go!• Everyone has the same cards• Go through the cards first • Organize the cards based on how you organize

things. • If you feel there is information missing, you may

use the blank cards to add your own information.• When the card sorting time closes, share how

you categorized the content.• Keep your cards in the order you created and

hand them to the facilitator.

Want to learn more?

Want to learn more?http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide

Want to learn more?http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/pipermail/lis-forum/2007-May/005811.html

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