Mobile App Information Architecture Template
Mobile app navigation is constrained by small screens and touch interfaces. This template helps you organize features, menus, and tabs in a way that matches how users naturally think—not how your database is structured.
Why Mobile App IA Matters
The mobile stakes:
- 77% of users delete apps within 3 days if navigation is confusing
- Mobile users spend 88% of time in apps vs. mobile web
- Good IA increases engagement by 40-60%
Card sorting reveals:
- Which features users expect in main navigation vs. hidden menus
- How users naturally group app features
- What tab labels make intuitive sense
- Where settings and account features belong
Template Overview
What's Included
Ready-to-use cards (40 app features):
- Core features (Home, Search, Notifications, Profile)
- Content features (Feed, Browse, Favorites, History)
- Action features (Create, Upload, Share, Message)
- Account & Settings (Profile, Preferences, Help, Logout)
Recommended study type: Hybrid card sort
Suggested participants: 25-30 target users
Time to complete: 8-10 minutes
Analysis time: 2-3 hours
The Template: Mobile App IA Card Sort
Cards to Sort (40 features)
Core Navigation Features (8 cards):
Home / Feed
Search / Explore
Notifications
Messages / Inbox
Profile / Account
Create / Add New
Activity / What's New
Menu / More
Content & Discovery (12 cards):
Browse Categories
Trending / Popular
Following / Subscriptions
Saved / Bookmarks
Watch Later
Recently Viewed
Recommendations For You
Collections / Playlists
Top Rated
New Releases
My Library
Downloads (Offline)
Interactive Features (10 cards):
Like / Favorite
Share Content
Comment
Follow / Subscribe
Rate & Review
Create Post
Upload Photo/Video
Send Message
Invite Friends
Report / Flag
Account & Settings (10 cards):
Edit Profile
Account Settings
Privacy Settings
Notification Settings
Payment Methods
Subscription / Billing
Help & Support
About / Legal
Dark Mode / Appearance
Sign Out
Suggested pre-made categories:
Category 1: Bottom Tab Bar (4-5 items max)
Category 2: Top Navigation
Category 3: Profile/Account Menu
Category 4: Hidden in "More" Menu
Instructions for participants:
Welcome! We're designing our mobile app navigation.
Please organize these features into groups based on where you'd expect to find them in an app.
Use the suggested categories (Bottom Tab Bar, Profile Menu, etc.) or create your own.
Think about your favorite apps and how they organize features.
Takes about 10 minutes. Thank you!
Real-World Example: Social Media App
Before Card Sorting
Original navigation (product team's view):
Bottom tabs:
├─ Feed
├─ Explore
├─ Create
├─ Notifications
└─ Profile
Problem: Users couldn't find Messages (hidden in Profile menu)
Metrics:
- 62% of users couldn't find Messages without search
- Support tickets: "Where are my messages?"
- 38% lower message engagement than expected
Card Sort Results
28 users sorted 40 app features. Key findings:
Bottom Tab Bar (80%+ agreement - max 5 items):
1. Home / Feed
2. Search / Explore
3. Create / Post
4. Notifications
5. Messages (SURPRISE!)
Profile/Account Menu (70%+ agreement):
- My Profile
- Saved Posts
- Settings
- Help
- Sign Out
"More" Menu (items users don't mind hunting for):
- Privacy Policy
- About
- Report Problem
- Invite Friends
Surprising insights:
- 85% expected Messages in bottom tab bar, not in Profile
- "Create" was less important than Messages for most users
- Users wanted "Saved" in Profile menu, not bottom tabs
- Dark Mode should be in Settings, not a top-level feature
Implemented Solution
New navigation (based on card sort):
Bottom tabs (5):
├─ Home
├─ Explore
├─ Messages (moved from Profile!)
├─ Notifications
└─ Profile
├─ My Posts
├─ Saved
├─ Settings
└─ Help
"Create" moved to: Floating Action Button (FAB) on Home/Explore
Results after 60 days:
- Messages opened per session: +127%
- Support tickets about navigation: -64%
- Overall engagement time: +31%
- App store rating: 3.8 → 4.4 stars
Best Practices for Mobile App Card Sorting
1. Respect the 5-Tab Limit
Why 5 tabs max:
- iOS Human Interface Guidelines recommend 5 or fewer
- More tabs = harder to tap accurately
- Cognitive overload with 6+ choices
Test which 5 features are most important to users, not your business.
2. Include Platform Patterns
iOS vs. Android differences:
- iOS: Bottom tab bar is standard
- Android: Bottom nav + Hamburger menu or Navigation Drawer
Test: Include both "Bottom Tab Bar" and "Hamburger Menu" as categories to see where users expect features.
3. Test Icon + Label Combinations
Instead of: "Search" Try: "Search 🔍", "Explore 🔍", "Discover 🔍"
Why: Users may group features differently based on icon/label combinations. Test which labels resonate.
4. Include Contextual Features
Don't forget:
- Swipe gestures (Swipe to Delete, Swipe to Like)
- Long-press actions (Long-press for Options)
- Floating action buttons
- Pull-to-refresh
Card example: "Swipe Left to Save for Later"
5. Test with Different User Segments
Segment by:
- New users (within first week)
- Active users (daily users)
- Power users (top 10% engagement)
Why: Power users may want different navigation than new users.
Common Mobile App IA Patterns
Pattern 1: Bottom Tab Bar (iOS Standard)
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Content Area │
│ │
└─────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Home | Search | + | 🔔 | 👤│
└─────────────────────────┘
Best for: Content-heavy apps, social media, e-commerce
Pros: Fast access, always visible, familiar pattern Cons: Limited to 5 items, takes up screen space
Examples: Instagram, Twitter, Airbnb, Spotify
Pattern 2: Navigation Drawer (Hamburger Menu)
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ ☰ Title 🔍 ⚙️ │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Content Area │
│ │
└─────────────────────────┘
Swipe from left:
┌──────────┐
│ Home │
│ Profile │
│ Settings │
│ Help │
└──────────┘
Best for: Apps with many features, productivity apps
Pros: Holds 10+ items, saves screen space Cons: Hidden by default, harder to discover
Examples: Gmail, Google Drive, Medium
Pattern 3: Hybrid (Tab Bar + Hamburger)
Bottom tabs for core features
+ Hamburger menu for secondary features
Best for: Complex apps with 8-12 important features
Pros: Best of both worlds, scalable Cons: More complex, can confuse users
Examples: Facebook, LinkedIn
Pattern 4: Floating Action Button (FAB)
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Content Area │
│ ┌──┐ │
│ │ +│ │
│ └──┘ │
└─────────────────────────┘
Best for: Apps with primary action (Create, Add, Compose)
Pros: Prominent, always accessible, saves tab space Cons: Covers content, less discoverable than tab
Examples: Google Keep, Gmail (compose), Trello
Using This Template
Step 1: Customize Features (20 minutes)
Replace generic features with your app's specific features:
Generic: "Browse Categories"
Your app: "Browse Recipes by Cuisine" (cooking app)
Your app: "Explore Workouts" (fitness app)
Include your app's unique features like AR filters, live streaming, etc.
Step 2: Set Up Study (5 minutes)
Settings:
- Type: Hybrid card sort
- Cards: 35-45
- Categories:
- Bottom Tab Bar (max 5)
- Profile/Account Menu
- More/Settings Menu
- Hidden/Don't Include
Step 3: Recruit Users (1-2 days)
Target: 25-30 users (mix of new and active users)
Screening questions:
- How often do you use mobile apps? (Daily)
- What's your favorite app and why? (Understand their mental models)
- iOS or Android? (Platform matters)
Step 4: Analyze Results (2-3 hours)
Key questions:
- Which 4-5 features got 70%+ agreement for "Bottom Tab Bar"?
- Which features were consistently grouped in Profile/Account?
- Which features had low agreement (< 50%)? These may be confusing or unnecessary.
Step 5: Design Navigation (2 days)
Based on results:
- Bottom tabs (top 4-5 features from card sort)
- Profile menu (account-related features)
- Floating action button (if you have primary "Create" action)
- Settings menu (preferences, help, legal)
Step 6: Prototype & Test (1 week)
Create interactive prototype in Figma/Adobe XD and run usability tests:
- Can users find key features in under 5 seconds?
- Do tab labels make sense?
- Are icons recognizable?
Metrics to Track Post-Launch
Navigation metrics:
- Feature discovery time (how long to find feature)
- Tab usage distribution (are all tabs used equally?)
- Menu depth (how many taps to common features)
- Hamburger menu open rate (if applicable)
Engagement metrics:
- Daily active users (DAU)
- Session length
- Features used per session
- Return rate (D1, D7, D30)
Business metrics:
- Conversion rate (if e-commerce/SaaS)
- Content creation rate (if social/UGC)
- Message/interaction rate (if social)
User feedback:
- App store reviews mentioning navigation
- Support tickets about "where is X feature?"
- Usability test success rates
Target improvements:
- 30-50% reduction in "where is X?" support tickets
- 40-60% increase in feature discovery
- 20-30% increase in session engagement
- +0.3 to +0.5 stars in app store rating
Related Templates
- SaaS Onboarding IA Template
- E-commerce IA Template
- Educational Platform IA Template
- Card Sorting for Information Architecture
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I test iOS and Android users separately? A: Test preferences first (platform-agnostic). Then adapt to platform conventions (iOS tab bar, Android nav drawer/bottom nav).
Q: What if users want 7-8 features in the bottom tab bar? A: Prioritize top 5. Move 6-8 to a "More" tab or context-specific locations (e.g., "Create" as FAB).
Q: How do I handle features that fit multiple categories? A: Exactly why you do card sorting! Users will reveal primary mental associations. Secondary placements can be duplicated (e.g., "Settings" in Profile AND "More" menu).
Q: Should I include onboarding screens in the card sort? A: No. Card sorting is for navigation structure, not onboarding flows. Test those separately.
Ready to Optimize Your Mobile App IA?
Use this template now (free) →
What you'll get:
- Pre-configured mobile app card sort
- Bottom tab bar priority analysis
- Feature grouping insights
- Export results for design handoff
No credit card required. 3 free studies.
Next Steps
- Create free account (2 minutes)
- Load mobile app template (1 click)
- Customize with your features (20 minutes)
- Send to 25-30 users (2 days)
- Identify top 5 navigation features (2 hours)
- Redesign app navigation (1 week)
- Increase engagement (ongoing)
Start optimizing your mobile app IA today.