What is Card Sorting?
- A technique to see how content is grouped and labeled.
- Aids in developing the information architecture for a website
- Representative users sort index cards listing website content into groups
- Users name the groups (open-sort exercise) or place content under pre-determined labels (closed sort)
Card Sorting Resources
What is Card Sorting
http://www.infodesign.com.au/usabilityresources/design/cardsorting.asp
Card Sorting: A Definitive Guide
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide
Card Sorting: How Many Users to Test
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040719.html
6 comments:
Card Sorting Format
In-Person - Four sessions, with 2-3 people per session (for approximately 10 participants in total)
Session 1 - undergrads
Session 2 - graduates
Session 3 - faculty
Session 4 - staff
Online - ~5 people from each group online (for approximately 20 participants).
Card Sorting Timeline
Jan 15 - Finalize web content list
Jan 16-18
-Create cards for in-person sort
-Identify online program to use
Jan 22-25 - solicit participants for both in-person and online sorting
Jan 28-Feb 8 - perform in-person and online card sorting
Feb 8-19 - compile and analyze results of sorts.
Feb 19 - WUT meeting to discuss results.
The web content list is finalized!!! Thank you all - particularly Meredith and Lois. It can be found on our alectrona site.
2/4/08 Update:
Since our last meeting, our first steps were to complete the list to use for the sort. Lois, Meredith and I met on January 31 to finalize the card sort list. On Thursday January 24, 5 members of the iDesk staff offered to do a sample card sort for us. We compiled a sampling of the 70 cards, giving them 35 cards. They were sorted and the following day we met to work out one of the online systems of how to analyze the information in the sort. We utilized a table created by Donna Maurer of Rosenfeld Media, which worked really well. The compilation can be found on Alectrona (I’ve also attached it).
The next step was to set up a mirror of the card sort online, which I did through OptimalSort (which by the way will no longer be free as March 1 so we just made it under the gun!). The sort can be done at http://uconnlibraryredesign2007.optimalsort.com/uconnlibrary/
Now for the sorts themselves.
Faculty:
A note to 14 random faculty members was sent on January 31 asking them to participate in either the online or in-person sort. I received no feedback from those 14 and sent another 11 emails to random faculty on February 4.
Undergraduates:
A request went out to approximately 10 students working for the iDesk but currently none have responded. A larger net is being cast and a list is being worked on now.
Graduates:
The Graduate Student Senate was contacted for a list of names to send a request to. As of this email, they have not responded. A flyer was made and posted in the graduate school building with the dates of the sorts.
List of interested folks:
A separate e-mail to the list of folks who said they might be interested in future redesign activities was sent on February 4. 11 were students and 1 was to professional staff.
Card Sorting update:
On Friday, Feb. 8 we had our first in-person card sort with two students - a senior and a graduate student. The process went very smooth and I put their results in the spreadsheet, which also went very smooth. (It’s on the Alectrona site under Redesign 2007/Card Sorting if your curious. I also left the info on our iDesk staff sorts since I think that information is still useful so the students are sort 6 and 7.)
I have two more people signed up for the 12th. One contacted me from your flyer Meredith!! I have it on my calendar and I’m free so I’m happy to do it again unless someone has a burning desire to do so. It took about 50 minutes for both to complete it.
I still have no takers on the online sort, even sending out another set of e-mails. So I hear from Lois and Shirley that the idea was to widen the online sort and I wholeheartedly agree! I made it a news item on the library website and will ask Suzanne if she can post it on the faculty and student web pages. I sent a few notes to some faculty I know and asked them to pass the word. So at this point I think we should push the online a bit more where possible and not schedule anymore in-person sorts.
I had to update the online sort to include faculty and staff in the pre-sort questionnaire so if you are sending the link to anyone that you think might be interested, use this one:
http://uconnlibraryredesign2007.optimalsort.com/uconnlibsort/
Two more in-person card sorts today, bringing the total to 4. No more are scheduled.
The call for online participants in on the library main page and will be added to faculty and student pages per Mark Roy from Feb. 14 thru 18 and again from Feb. 22 thru the 27th.
Currently 5 completed sorts have been done online.
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