Usability Methods Explained: Card Sorting
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Posted On :
Mar-05-2011
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Article Word Count :
825
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Card sorting is a simple usability test that directs a group of users to classify website content and information for interface design purposes. Users are given a group of index cards labeled with a function or category of content which they must then organize into groups that make sense to them in terms of website navigability, substance, and structure.
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What is Card Sorting? Card sorting is a simple usability test that directs a group of users to classify website content and information for interface design purposes. Users are given a group of index cards labeled with a function or category of content which they must then organize into groups that make sense to them in terms of website navigability, substance, and structure. This gives you as the interface designer the information requisite to increase your website’s usability. Designers are continually striving to make their user interface design easily navigable and favorable relative to the user’s ability to determine and obtain relevant resources and information. Card sorting is a dependable and inexpensive method of usability testing that can help you achieve the aforementioned goals during the development of your interface design.
How to direct a Card Sort
Card sorting is a relatively simple usability process that can be executed using one or both of the following principal methods:
• Open Card Sorting: During an open card sort, users are given index cards labeled with website content. They are then asked to create content groups and describe the purpose of each content category. After users have established clear content categories, they must sort the pre-labeled index cards into each group based on their perception of each card’s best logical fit within a website interface. They must then describe the logic behind their sorting choices in view of the most optimal user interface design.
• Closed Card Sorting: During a closed card sort, users are again given index cards which are labeled with website content, but they are not required to create content categories, as they have been pre-determined by testers. The user’s main objective in a closed card sort is simply to classify content cards into the pre-determined groupings within the user interface.
Both of these methods of card sorting are effective ways to perfect your user interface. However, the question becomes when to use an open card sorting usability test versus a closed card sorting usability test? Open card sorts are especially advantageous when you are creating an entirely new website, as this is a time when you need to understand how to form your user interface from scratch and ascertain its usability. Closed card sorts are a good strategy for gaining new user experience insight into how to improve the usability of an existing web interface. Closed card sorts are also beneficial if you decide to add new content to an existing interface because you can determine how your users will classify new information within an existing structure.
What are the benefits of card sorting?
Card sorting is a simple usability test and simplicity is usually cost and time effective. Card sorting can also help you answer many of the critical usability and interface design questions that arise during the initial and subsequent phases of website development:
• How do users want to see information grouped on a given website? Do users prefer information grouped by process, subject, or information mode?
• How do I determine the needs of various users? Do diverse groups of users have similar or divergent needs? How do I best structure my site to meet the needs of my target users?
• How do I categorize my website? How many potential categories of information are there and how do I ensure these categories are logical and navigable for my users?
• How do I name the categories of information on my website to best satisfy user needs and interests?
With card sorting facilitating your capacity to answer these important questions, determining, improving, or measuring your interface’s usability is not only easier, but it can also become collaborative in nature. All of these questions are directly related to the needs of users and clients, thus card sorting becomes a process of interface design based on teamwork.
What are some card sorting disadvantages?
As is true with any usability test, there are drawbacks to the card sorting method. The major pitfall of the card sorting usability test is that it can sometimes be so content-centric that you lose sight of user tasks. User tasks are the jobs users need to perform on your website to achieve a goal. In other words, what do users need to do in order to send an email, transfer money from one bank account to another, or order clothes using your interface design? Content organization is vital to interface design, but it must be considered in conjunction with how the content relates to the specific tasks users need to perform. Content organization should facilitate user tasks and the card sorting method is not always an effective way of usability testing the actual jobs that users need to perform. For this purpose, other methods such as Task Analysis or Contextual Inquiry should be used.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Usability Methods Explained: Card Sorting_54745.aspx
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Author Resource :
Pidoco.com – Interface Design, Wireframe Software, Wireframe Tools, Interface Design Software, Clickable Wireframes & GUI Prototyping Tool. Wireframe creating & GUI prototyping tool. Fast wireframe creation & remote website usability testing lead to an improved conversion!
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Keywords :
interface design, clickable wireframe, clickable wireframe, wireframe,
Category :
Computers
:
Software
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