Card Sorting

What is Card Sorting?

Card Sorting is a user research method that helps designers understand how users group and classify information. In simple terms, it helps you know what users want where in a system – such as the website menu, product categories, or app structure.

This method is commonly used in the early stages of design, especially when you are building Information Architecture or navigation.

How it works:

1. Prepare "cards" – Each card represents a piece of content, function, or item in the product (for example: “Register an account”, “Customer support”, “Frequently Asked Questions”…).

2. Invite users to group these cards – Based on how they perceive logic, familiarity, or easiest to understand.

3. There are 2 main types:

   • Open Card Sorting: Users group and name the groups themselves.

   • Closed Card Sorting: Users group into pre-existing categories.

Real-world example:

Suppose you are designing a website for a bookstore. Instead of guessing “where to place children's books, literature, psychology, self-help in the menu”, you could create cards with book titles and invite users to arrange them into groups that they feel make sense. The results will help you create a more understandable category.

Common tools:

• Optimal Workshop

• Maze

• Figma plugin, Google Sheets, or even paper & pencil!

Why is Card Sorting important?

According to Nielsen Norman Group, Card Sorting helps you design interfaces based on users' mental models, rather than based on the subjective thoughts of the design or business team.

If you’ve ever seen a menu that left you confused because “you don’t know where to find what you need” – it’s likely that the designer did not use Card Sorting. Card Sorting does not give you the “exact answer”, but it offers insights into how users think, allowing you to design a more intuitive and usable system.