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A/B Testing

Card Sorting

User research method organizing information into categories

Card Sorting is a user research technique where participants organize topics, features, or content into categories that make sense to them, revealing how users naturally group information and understand relationships. This method helps product teams design intuitive information architecture, navigation structures, and feature organization aligned with user mental models. In a card sorting session, participants receive cards representing individual pieces of content or functionality and sort them into groups. Open card sorting allows participants to create their own category names, revealing natural groupings. Closed card sorting provides predefined categories where participants place cards. Hybrid approaches combine both methods. Card sorting can be conducted in-person with physical cards or remotely using digital tools. The technique is particularly valuable when designing navigation menus, organizing feature sets, structuring documentation, planning content hierarchies, or redesigning existing architectures. Analysis involves identifying patterns in how participants grouped items, calculating agreement levels across participants, discovering unexpected relationships, and understanding the logic behind groupings. Card sorting works best with fifteen to thirty participants for quantitative patterns, though even small studies provide valuable insights. The method complements other research techniques like tree testing to validate the resulting structure. Product managers use card sorting findings to reduce confusion, improve findability, and create organizations that match user expectations rather than internal company structures.

Discover Card Sorting in UX research. Learn how this technique reveals user mental models and improves information architecture.