[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-237704-105":53,"doc-detail-237704-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":120,"head_meta":122,"extra_data":124,"updated_unix":126},105,"en","card-sorting-a-definitive-guide","Card sorting - a definitive guide","","Card sorting presents a user-centered approach for improving a system’s findability by asking participants to sort labeled cards into meaningful groups. It explains how the resulting patterns—often described as users’ mental models—feed into information design decisions such as navigation, menus, and possible taxonomy structures. The article also details two major execution methods (open and closed), outlining how each fits different product contexts. It further weighs advantages and disadvantages, including time for analysis and the risk of focusing on content surface rather than task needs.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":11,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/presentations/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/card-sorting-a-definitive-guide/237704/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/card-sorting-a-definitive-guide/237704.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"8796093062539","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document","2026-10-27","2026-09-11",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What is card sorting and what problem does it address?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"Card sorting is a user-centered design method that increases a system’s findability. Participants sort cards labeled with content or functionality into groups that make sense to users.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"What are the two primary card sorting methods?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"The article describes open card sorting and closed card sorting. Open sorting has no pre-established groupings, while closed sorting uses an initial set of primary groups.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What are the key advantages and disadvantages of card sorting?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Advantages include simplicity, low cost, speed, and involving real users to ground the information structure. Disadvantages include not considering users’ tasks, potentially inconsistent results, time-consuming analysis, and capturing only surface characteristics.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},237704,1791731509,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":60,"doc_module":9,"category_id":8,"category_name":11,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":135,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":76},8796093062539,"Card sorting: a definitive guide\nby \u0013 HYPERLINK \"http://www.boxesandarrows.com/person/72-donnamaurer\" \u0014Donna Spencer\u0015 and  \u0013 HYPERLINK \"http://www.boxesandarrows.com/person/102-donnamaurerandtoddwarfel\" \u0014Todd Warfel\u0015 on 2004/04/07 | \u0013 HYPERLINK \"http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide\" \\l \"comments\" \u0014[46 Comments]\u0015\n“ “Card sorting is a great, reliable, inexpensive method for finding patterns in how users would expect to find content or functionality.” ”\nIntroduction\nCard sorting is a technique that many information architects (and related professionals.) use as an input to the structure of a site or product. With so many of us using the technique, why would we need to write an article on it?\nWhile card sorting is described in a few texts and a number of sites, most descriptions are brief. There is not a definitive article that describes the technique and its variants and explains the issues to watch out for. Given the number of questions posted to discussion groups, and discussions we have had at conferences, we thought it was time to get all of the issues in one place.\nThis article provides a detailed description of the basic technique, with some focus on using the technique for more complex sites. This article does not cover some issues such as the use of online tools, which will be covered in a future article.\nWhy\nCard sorting is a quick, inexpensive, and reliable method, which serves as input into your information design process. Card sorting generates an overall structure for your information, as well as suggestions for navigation, menus, and possible taxonomies.\nWhile card sorting might not provide you with final structure, it can help you answer many questions you will need to tackle throughout the information design phase. For example, more than likely there will be some areas that users disagree on regarding groupings or labels. In these cases, card sorting can help identify trends, such as:\nDo the users want to see the information grouped by subject, process, business group, or information type?\nHow similar are the needs of the different user groups? >\nHow different are their needs?\nHow many potential main categories are there? (typically relates to navigation)\nWhat should those groups be called?\nCard sorting can help answer these types of questions, making you better equipped to tackle the information design phase.\n\u000f\nDefinition\nCard sorting is a user-centered design method for increasing a system’s findability. The process involves sorting a series of cards, each labeled with a piece of content or functionality, into groups that make sense to users or participants.\nAccording to Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, card sorting “can provide insight into users’ mental models, illuminating the way that they often tacitly group, sort and label tasks and content within their own heads.”\nCard sorting is a great, reliable, inexpensive method for finding patterns in how users would expect to find content or functionality. Those patterns are often referred to as the users’ mental model. By understanding the users’ mental model, we can increase findability, which in turn makes the product easier to use.\nMethod\nThere are two primary methods for performing card sorts.\nOpen Card Sorting: Participants are given cards showing site content with no pre-established groupings. They are asked to sort cards into groups that they feel are appropriate and then describe each group. Open card sorting is useful as input to information structures in new or existing sites and products.\nClosed Card Sorting: Participants are given cards showing site content with an established initial set of primary groups. Participants are asked to place cards into these pre-established primary groups. Closed card sorting is useful when adding new content to an existing structure, or for gaining additional feedback after an open card sort.\nClosed card sorting will be detailed in a future article.\nAdvantages and disadvantag","cbCait8K4h2UyyJ0","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCait8K4h2UyyJ0","docx",44925,9,"English","# Introduction\n# Why\n# Definition\n# Method\n## Open Card Sorting\n## Closed Card Sorting\n# Advantages and disadvantages\n## Advantages\n## Disadvantages\n# When should card sorting be used?","[{\"question\":\"What is card sorting and what problem does it address?\",\"answer\":\"Card sorting is a user-centered design method that increases a system’s findability. Participants sort cards labeled with content or functionality into groups that make sense to users.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the two primary card sorting methods?\",\"answer\":\"The article describes open card sorting and closed card sorting. Open sorting has no pre-established groupings, while closed sorting uses an initial set of primary groups.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the key advantages and disadvantages of card sorting?\",\"answer\":\"Advantages include simplicity, low cost, speed, and involving real users to ground the information structure. Disadvantages include not considering users’ tasks, potentially inconsistent results, time-consuming analysis, and capturing only surface characteristics.\"}]","Card sorting - a definitive guide | DOCX",1789114506]