UX Challenges

Card Sorting

Card Sorting Card Sorting

Scenario

You work at an agency that was recently hired to improve the design of an e-commerce site that has deals on outdoor gear (competitors are The Clymb, GearScan, Steep & Cheap).

The client is getting lots of complaints from customers that they can't find what they're looking for on the site. Through some research and testing, your team has discovered that this is likely because the content is organized based on the company's goals and understanding, instead of what makes sense to users. So you decide to start from scratch and reorganize the site.

Task

Gather a list of pages or types of content that an outdoor gear website would have (refer to the competitors above for ideas). Perform a card sort with 5 to 10 real people using this list. Create a report of your findings for your team to use as they build a new information architecture for the site.

Extra Credit: Debrief each participant at the end of their card sort to get them to explain their rationale. You could also perform the card sort with more people (15 or more).

Tutorials

If you need help with this challenge, check out our hand-picked tutorial recommendations.

Card Sorting 101

optimalworkshop.com

How to Conduct An Effective Card Sort: A Comprehensive Guide

dscout.com

Card Sorting: Uncover Users' Mental Models for Better Information Architecture

nngroup.org

What's Card Sorting in User Experience Research?

youtube.com

Tools

Not sure which tools to use? Try one of these.

Miro

miro.com

Trello

trello.com

OptimalSort

optimalworkshop.com

Useberry

useberry.com

Pen and Paper

http://sneakpeekit.com/

Share Your Results

When you finish the challenge, post your work on Twitter! Be sure to use the hashtag #uxtoolschallenges and tag our account @uxtoolsco. We'll keep an eye out and repost good examples on a regular basis.

We're also building a new community for designers where you'll be able to get even more feedback. See more details.

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