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What is Card (Feature) Sorting in UX?

Card Sorting is a popular user research method used in information architecture (IA) to help design or evaluate the structure of a website, app, or any system with complex information.

It is a technique where users are given a set of "cards," each representing a specific piece of content or feature, and are asked to sort them into groups based on their understanding or preferences.

This method is particularly useful in designing navigation systems or categorizing features, as it helps uncover how users mentally group or categorize information.

What is needed for Card Sorting?

Cards

In this method, each card represents a discrete item, such as a feature, task, piece of content, or action. These cards can be physical or digital, and they represent the items or concepts you want users to categorize.


Groups or Categories

Users will organize the cards into groups or categories. The categories are not predefined, allowing the users to place items where they feel they belong, revealing their natural mental model for the structure of the information.

Open vs. Closed Card Sorting

Open Card Sorting
Users are free to create their own categories for the cards. This allows researchers to uncover how users think about information and how they naturally categorize it.


Closed Card Sorting
Users are given predefined categories and are asked to sort the cards into those categories. This is more useful when testing an existing structure or when you want to confirm users’ understanding of the categories.


Prioritization in Feature Sorting

Feature sorting focuses not just on grouping, but on prioritization. Users might be asked to sort features in terms of their importance, frequency of use, or their impact on the user experience.

The Process of Card Sorting

Define Your Objectives
Determine the goal of the exercise. Are you focusing on how users perceive the structure of a website, or are you testing which features they consider most important? Clear goals help structure the sorting process effectively.


Select Content or Features

Choose the content, features, or tasks that you want to evaluate. Each item should be clearly defined and represent a real-world component of the system.


Recruit Participants

Select a group of users who represent the target audience or customer base for the product or service. The number of participants can vary, but typically 10–15 users are ideal for revealing clear patterns.


Conduct the Sorting

Provide the users with the cards (physical or digital) and ask them to sort them into categories. For open sorting, they can create their own categories, while for closed sorting, they will organize the cards into predefined groups.


Analyze the Results

After the sorting activity is complete, analyze the results to identify common groupings or patterns. If feature sorting is involved, look for the most frequently prioritized or mentioned features to understand user preferences.


Iterate Based on Insights

Use the insights gathered to inform your design decisions. For example, if users consistently group certain features together, consider organizing the interface around those categories. Similarly, if certain features are prioritized, ensure they are prominently placed.

Benefits of Feature Sorting

Uncover User Mental Models

Card sorting helps you understand how users mentally organize information. By seeing how they categorize content, you can design navigation and product features that align with their expectations and cognitive structures.


Improve Usability and Navigation

By using the results of a card sorting exercise, you can create more intuitive menus, categories, and content structures that users can easily navigate.


Validate Design Decisions

If you're testing a pre-existing design, card sorting can validate whether users perceive the structure or feature organization as intended. It helps ensure the user experience aligns with user expectations.


Prioritize Features or Content

In feature sorting, understanding what features are considered most important by users helps prioritize what to develop or refine first, ensuring that the user experience focuses on high-impact features.


Flexible and Low-Cost

Card sorting is a low-cost, flexible research method that can be conducted in person or online, making it accessible for most design teams regardless of their size or budget.

Challenges of Card & Feature Sorting

Data Analysis Complexity

Sorting results can sometimes be hard to interpret, especially when dealing with open card sorting. It can be time-consuming to analyze and group the user responses into meaningful categories.


Limited Scope

Card sorting only provides insights into how users categorize information. It doesn't tell you the reasons behind their choices or explain the full context of their experience with the content or features.


Sample Size and Diversity

The results of a card sorting exercise are highly dependent on the users you recruit. A small or unrepresentative sample may not provide the insights you need. It’s important to recruit users who are representative of your target audience.


Context-Specific

The results from one card sorting study may be specific to the current product, environment, or user base and might not transfer to other contexts. Therefore, it’s important to conduct multiple tests if you're working on different platforms or target audiences.

Applications of Feature Sorting

Information Architecture Design

Card sorting is most commonly used in IA to design intuitive navigation structures, helping to categorize content or product features in a way that reflects user expectations.


Feature Prioritization in Product Development

Feature sorting allows product teams to understand which features are most important to users and prioritize development based on user demand.


Website and App Usability

UX designers can use card sorting to optimize website or app navigation, ensuring the site structure matches how users expect to find content or features.


Content Organization and Taxonomy

For content-heavy websites or platforms (e.g., blogs, news sites, e-commerce platforms), card sorting can help organize and categorize content in a way that users find logical and accessible.