Hybrid Card Sort

A hybrid card sort (also called semi-open card sorting) combines open and closed approaches by providing suggested categories while allowing participants to create new ones.

How It Works

1. You provide starting categories
2. Participants can use these categories
3. OR participants can create new categories
4. Offers flexibility while providing structure

When to Use

• Refinement: You have good ideas but want to stay open
• Testing assumptions: Validate categories while discovering gaps
• Mixed confidence: Some categories are solid, others uncertain
• Best of both worlds: Structure + flexibility

Advantages

• Balances guidance with discovery
• Reduces participant burden (vs pure open)
• Still allows for surprises (vs pure closed)
• Tests assumptions while remaining open
• Good for moderate-sized studies (25-40 participants)

Challenges

• More complex to analyze than pure methods
• May bias toward suggested categories
• Participants may default to provided options
• Results can be inconsistent

Best Practices

• Provide 3-5 starting categories
• Make it clear new categories are encouraged
• Recruit 25-40 participants
• Track which categories were predefined vs created
• Compare usage of suggested vs new categories