What is Card Sorting ?
About Card Sort
Card sorting is a research method where participants organise topics into logical groups, helping researchers understand how users think about information. Participants are given a set of cards, each representing a topic, a feature or a category, and asked to sort them into groups.
The results reveal how your audience perceives the relationship between topics, which informs how content, navigation and information architecture should be structured in a product or website.
Types of Card Sort
Decode supports three types of card sorting. The type you choose depends on how much you already know about the structure you are designing.
Open Card Sort
Participants are given a set of cards and asked to sort them into groups and name each group themselves. Use this when you want to discover how participants naturally organise information without any predefined structure.
Closed Card Sort
Participants are given a set of cards and a predefined list of categories. They sort each card into one of the given categories. Use this when you already have a category structure and want to validate whether it works for your target audience.
Hybrid Card Sort
Participants are given a set of cards and a predefined list of categories, but they can also create their own categories if none of the existing ones fit. Use this when you want to validate an existing structure while remaining open to new groupings participants may suggest.
Which type should I use?
Open: Use this when you have no existing category structure and want to discover how participants naturally group the content. For example, when designing a new website navigation from scratch or organising a product catalogue for the first time.
Closed: Use this when you already have a category structure in place and want to validate whether it makes sense to your audience. For example, when you have designed a navigation and want to check whether users can map content to the right sections.
Hybrid: Use this when you have an initial structure you want to test but are open to discovering groupings you may not have considered. For example, when redesigning an existing navigation and want both validation of your current structure and new ideas from participants.
How Card Sorting Works
Card sorting is a research method where participants organise topics into logical groups, helping researchers understand how users think about information. The results are used to structure information architecture, navigation and menu systems in a way that is intuitive and aligned with user expectations.
Cards: T-shirts, Jeans, Jackets, Dresses, Sneakers, Formal Shoes, Sandals
Participant A groups: Clothing (T-shirts, Jeans, Jackets, Dresses) | Footwear (Sneakers, Formal Shoes, Sandals)
Participant B groups: Casual (T-shirts, Jeans, Sneakers) | Formal (Jackets, Dresses, Formal Shoes) | Accessories (Sandals)
The results show where participants agree and where they differ helping you decide how to structure your navigation or categories.
When to Perform Card Sorting
Conduct a card sort when you need to understand how your audience thinks about the organisation of content or features. Common scenarios include:
- You are designing or redesigning a website navigation and want to understand how users expect content to be grouped
- You are building a product catalogue or content library and need to decide on category labels and structure
- You have an existing information architecture and want to validate whether it matches how users think
- You are adding new features to a product and need to understand where users expect to find them
- You want to identify which content groupings are clear to users and which cause confusion
USE CASES
Website navigation design
A team is redesigning the navigation for an e-commerce website and wants to understand how users expect products to be categorised. A card sort reveals the groupings users find most intuitive, informing the menu structure before development begins.
App menu structure
A product team is designing the settings menu for a mobile app and needs to decide how to group the options. A card sort shows which settings users associate with each other, helping the team create a structure that matches how users think about the settings.
Content library organisation
A content team has a large library of articles and resources and needs to decide how to categorise them. A card sort reveals the labels and groupings that make the most sense to the audience who will be browsing the library.
Validating an existing structure
A team has already designed a navigation structure and wants to check whether it matches how users think before launch. A closed card sort tests the existing categories with real users and identifies any areas of confusion.
Product feature organisation
A SaaS product team is adding several new features and wants to understand where in the interface users expect to find them. A card sort maps user expectations to the existing product structure, reducing the risk of features being overlooked.