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Organize your content from your users’ perspective.
Card sorting studies reveal how users think about the content on your website. We present users with representative content items on various cards (either digitally or on index cards) and analyze how they organize the information. Our recommendations are grounded in quantitative statistical analysis while incorporating the qualitative commentary we collect from users in these sessions. We ensure that you come away with a deeper understanding of your users and a plan for making your website easier to navigate.
We help answer questions like:
How should we organize our content so that users find it?
What terms do users employ to describe our site?
How can we improve our overall navigation system?
Are there organizational options we haven’t considered?
What content do our users think is relevant? Irrelevant?
How can we reduce service requests related to our site?
What can I expect from card sorting with Centralis?
We collect both qualitative and quantitative data to understand how your users think about your domain and make specific recommendations for how to best organize it.
Careful Inventory
Before beginning our research, we’ll take inventory of your site’s content so we understand the breadth of information your product must accommodate.
Thoughtful Moderation
We ask probing questions and listen to users’ thought processes during sessions so that we know the logic behind their decisions.
Close Collaboration
We’ll work together when creating the card set to ensure we have a representative sample for users to sort.
In-Depth Analysis
We conduct a hierarchical cluster analysis on all the card sort data to statistically determine the best categories for your content.
hypotheses - and provides the needed numbers to back it up!"
- Centralis Client
FAQs about Card Sorting
What is card sorting?
Card sorting is a process in which we ask participants to sort a set of cards that display representative content from your site. We analyze this data using hierarchical cluster analysis to determine which categories your users find most relevant, making it easier for them to find the information they need.
Should card sorting sessions be moderated?
Much of the valuable information from card sorting comes from interacting with users. By asking them to think aloud as they sort, we get a deeper understanding of why they picked the categories they did, which in turn can help us name the various groups. We often employ a mix of moderated and unmoderated card sorts to gain valuable insight while enabling a larger sample of users to participate.
How many card sorting sessions is enough?
For unmoderated card sorts, we recommend thirty to fifty participants per user type. For moderated card sorts, we recommend between eight and sixteen participants per user type. We need fewer people for moderated sorts because participants tend to be more motivated and thoughtful when they have to think aloud, providing us with valuable context and data.
When should I do card sorting?
Card sorting is most useful when you are either first developing a website structure or considering a redesign. Often, card sorting is done when usability testing reveals that a site’s information architecture is causing problems. That being said, it’s never a bad time to learn how your users think about your content.
What’s the difference between open and closed card sorting?
For an open card sort, we give users free rein to sort they cards however they choose, having them explain their categories as they go. With a closed card sort, we decide the categories in advance, and have the participants organize the cards into these pre-existing groups. We often use closed card sorting to assess users’ interest in the range of content by having them sort the items into high, medium, and low priority sets.
How else can we evaluate our information architecture?
When starting from scratch or initiating a redesign, card sorting is ideal because it lets the users decide which categories you should use. If you wish to evaluate an existing structure, we recommend tree testing to determine how users interact with your content and navigation.
More questions about card sorting?
Card Sorting in Action
Case Study: Classifying Cancer Care
ASCO’s Cancer.net is a comprehensive site to provide support and education about all aspects of cancer. ASCO needed Centralis to determine the best way to organize their thousands of pages, so we turned to people whose lives had been impacted by cancer.
Why Centralis
We have more than 20 years of experience and the numbers to prove it:
hear your thoughts after you've had time to start digesting it all."
- Centralis Client