How to Run Your First Card Sort Study
Difficulty: Beginner Time Required: 2-3 hours (including participant recruitment)
Learn how to run your first card sort study to improve your website or app's information architecture. This guide walks you through the essential steps to gather valuable insights about how users organize your content.
What You'll Need
- A list of content items to sort (15-50 items recommended)
- Access to 15-30 participants
- Card sorting tool (Free Card Sort recommended)
- Clear study objectives
- 2-3 hours of dedicated time
Step 1: Define Your Study Goals
Start by clearly identifying what you want to learn from your card sort. Write down specific questions you want to answer about your content organization.
- What content areas are unclear to users?
- How do users naturally group your information?
- What category names make sense to your audience?
Example: "I want to understand how users would organize our help center content into logical groups"
Step 2: Prepare Your Content Cards
Create a list of 30-40 items that represent your content. Each card should be clear and self-explanatory.
- Use simple, consistent language
- Keep card labels brief (2-5 words)
- Remove duplicate or overlapping items
- Include a mix of content types
Example Cards:
- Reset password
- Contact support team
- Update billing information
- Download invoice
- Change notification settings
Step 3: Choose Your Card Sort Type
Decide between open, closed, or hybrid card sorting based on your goals.
- Open sort: Users create their own categories (best for new websites)
- Closed sort: Users sort into predefined categories (best for existing sites)
- Hybrid: Combination of both (advanced option)
Pro tip: For your first study, start with an open card sort to gather unbiased user perspectives.
Step 4: Set Up Your Study
Create your card sort study in your chosen tool:
- Enter your card items
- Write clear instructions for participants
- Add a brief introduction explaining the purpose
- Set up any demographic questions
- Test the sort yourself before launching
Example Instructions: "Group these items in a way that makes sense to you. Create categories that you feel best organize these items."
Step 5: Recruit and Run the Study
Aim for 15-30 participants who represent your target users.
- Share your study link via email or social media
- Monitor responses as they come in
- Send reminders to participants who haven't completed
- Keep track of completion rates
Time estimate: Allow 1-2 weeks for recruitment and completion
Step 6: Analyze Your Results
Review the data to identify patterns and insights:
- Look for commonly grouped items
- Note frequently used category names
- Identify items that caused confusion
- Calculate agreement scores between participants
Example Analysis: "80% of participants grouped 'Reset Password' and 'Change Password' together under 'Account Security'"
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Including too many cards (over 50)
- Using technical jargon in card labels
- Not testing the sort yourself first
- Recruiting too few participants
- Rushing the analysis phase
- Ignoring outlier responses
Tips for Success
- Run a pilot test with 2-3 users before full launch
- Keep instructions simple and clear
- Use real content items, not abstract concepts
- Allow enough time for recruitment
- Take detailed notes during analysis
- Look for patterns, not just majority groupings
Next Steps
After completing your first card sort:
- Document your findings
- Share results with stakeholders
- Create an action plan based on insights
- Consider running a closed sort to validate findings
- Implement changes to your information architecture
Further Reading
Ready to start your first card sort? Create a free account and launch your study in minutes.
Remember: Card sorting is an iterative process. Your first study will provide valuable insights, but you may need multiple rounds to refine your information architecture.