What is card sorting?

• Card sorting is a user research methodology that helps evaluate the information architecture of a website. You'll take each of the navigation items of your website and create them as individual cards. Participants will group those cards into the categories that make the most sense to them.

When should I conduct a card sort?

• If people are struggling where to find items on your website or you're seeing high bounce rates on your website, conduct a card sort to see if content should be organized in a better way.

How many cards should I include in my card sort?

• We recommend no more than 30 - 40 cards

How many participants do I need for a card sorting study?

• We recommend between 20 - 30 participants for a card sort study

How many types of card sorts are there and what are they?

• There are three types of card sorts: open card sort, closed card sort, and hybrid card sort
• Open card sort: With an open card sort, participants sort a list of items into groups that make sense to them. Participants are free to assign whatever names they want to the groups they’ve created. View an example
• Closed card sort: With a closed card sort, participants sort a list of items into predefined categories. They cannot update category names or add additional categories. View an example
• Hybrid card sort: A hybrid card sort is where you provide your users with predefined categories, similar to close card sort, but you also allow them to create their own categories, if they don’t find a good fit from those provided and need to create their own. View an example

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