Tools for user experience design - card sorting

In the last few years I've witnessed the rise and rise of design and particularly usability/user experience design as a professional area.

In the mid-90s, when I was conducting wireframe-based user testing, observing user behaviour in applications and asking users which functionality was most important to them before building websites, there was low awareness in Australia of the value of usability and correspondingly few people working specifically in the area.

Today, alongside the increase in the number of usability consultants we've seen the arrival of online tools that assist web teams in conducting their own testing. 

I'm going to do a series of posts on different topics in the area over the next few weeks.

For now, here's information on card sorting that your web team might find useful.

Card sorting

What is it

Card sorting is an approach that assists web professionals and information architects understand how their audiences group concepts, topics or items - people's 'mental model' of information.

This helps them build a structures that assist their audiences in finding what they are looking for when navigating information, websites and applications. 

It also identifies complex areas needing more work. This includes where there are significant differences in understanding terms or in the relationship between items.

It is one of the easiest and cheapest design processes to use, can provide or validate key insights early in projects (before design work takes place) and can be quite fun for participants.

How is it used

Traditionally card sorts are conducted using cards (or sticky notes) in a physical space. 

Tools and resources

Card sorting is well documented online.

• The card sorting topic at the Society for Technical Communication's website is one of the best central resources for card sorting information
• Card sorting: a definitive guide is also a fantastic resource from Donna Maurer and Todd Warfel.
• The Eurostar Card sorting Case Study (also by Donna Maurer) is a fantastic example of a card sorting process

There are now ways to conduct card sorting online, through tools such as:

• Websort - www.websort.net
  
• Optimalsort - www.optimalsort.com