Card Sorting

Card sorting is a user-centered taxonomy method in which participants organize and categorize information or concepts on digital “cards,” helping us to uncover patterns in their mental models and inform the design of information architecture with confidence.

This process helps our researchers understand how users perceive and categorize information, which can inform the structure, navigation, and labeling of a digital product.

Types of Card Sorting:

Open Card Sorting:

• Participants create their own categories and labels.

• Useful for generating ideas on how users naturally group information.

Closed Card Sorting:

• Participants sort cards into predefined categories.

• Useful for validating existing information structures or when there are specific categories that need to be tested.

Hybrid Card Sorting:

• A combination of open and closed sorting where participants start with predefined categories but can also create their own.