Download - Introduction to Card Sorting
Information Architecture 101: Card Sorting
• 12 years experience in creating
compelling, usable and innovate
experiences
• Strategy, user research, IA, wireframes,
usability testing
• ThoughtFarmer Intranet clients:
• Cummins Western Canada
• Fokker Services, Aerostructures, Aircraft
Services
• Global Container Terminals
• YVR
SELMA ZAFAR,
SENIOR USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
Who Feels that their Intranet Content is a tangled mess?
IA Challenges for Intranets
• Reflects a company organization chart that employees
don’t understand
• Stale, out-dated content
• ‘Dumping Ground’ for content
•No publishing standards or style guide
• Lack of content ownership
• Complex publishing processes prevent content updating
Business/Context
Content Users
CARD SORTING
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattobee/4417201103/sizes/l/in/photostream/
“It is important to use Card Sorting for the
right reasons and the right time in the project
and to analyze the results in combination with
other inputs.”
- DONNA SPENCER 2009
Steps in a Card Sort
1. Decide what you want to learn
2. Select the type of Card Sort (open vs closed)
3. Choose Suitable Content
4. Choose and invite participants
5. Conduct the sort (online or in-person)
6. Analyze Results
7. Integrate results
Before you Get Started!
Inventory + Audit the Content
What are you wanting to learn?
•New Intranet vs Existing?
•Section of Intranet?
•Whole organization vs single department?
•For a project? For a team?
Product Targets
CRM Project Review
CRM Organization Chart
Christmas Party
Walkathon Results
Year in Review Meeting
Vacation Policy
Pay DaysVacation request
form
Year in Review Meeting
Product TargetsCRM
Project Review
CRM Organization Chart
Christmas Party
Walkathon Results
Vacation Policy
Pay DaysVacation request
form
OPEN VS CLOSED
Vacation Policy
Christmas Party
CRM Project Review
CRM Organization
Chart
Product Targets
Year in Review Meeting
Pay Days
Walkathon Results
Vacation request
form
Vacation Policy
Christmas Party
CRM Project Review
CRM Organization Chart
Product TargetsYear in
Review Meeting
Pay DaysWalkathon
Results
Vacation request
form
Company News
DepartmentsHuman
Resources
Projects
Company News
EventsHuman
Resources
Projects
Company News
DepartmentsHuman
Resources
Projects
OPEN SORT
CLOSED SORT
SELECTING CONTENT
Selecting Content
Do’s
•30 – 100 Cards
•Select content that can
be grouped
•Select terms and
concepts that mean
something to users
Don’ts
• More than 100 cards
• Mix functionality and content
• Include both detailed and broad content
Choose & Invite Participants
Conducting the Card Sort
Optimal Workshop
(www.optimalworkshop.c
om)
Analysis
#17 The information in this presentation is confidential. Please do not redistribute. Thanks!
Look at
•What groups were created
•Where the cards were placed
•What terms were used for labels
•Organization scheme used
•Whether people created accurate or inaccurate
groups
Category Characteristics
• Users understand the categories & can find
information
• Content fits well in categories with not too much
overlap
• Category names match users mental models
Integrate results: Create Your IA
Added Benefit of Card Sorting
Employee Engagement
Involving your employees as part of the process for
defining your new Intranet will result in higher
acceptance.
http://www.thoughtfarmer.com/blog/
Steps in a Card Sort REcap
1. Inventory/Audit Content
2. Decide what you want to learn
3. Select the type of Card Sort (open vs closed)
4. Choose Suitable Content
5. Choose and invite participants
6. Conduct the sort (online or in-person)
7. Analyze Results
8. Create IA
Now Card Sort!
www.thoughtfarmer.com/cardsort
Find out the results at the next ThoughtFarmer Webinar!
Information Architecture 101: Task Testing
October 17th @8:30 AM PST
