What is it?Get users involved in information architecture design.
Get user feedback, quickly and easily.
User feedback is essential for good information architecture.
Card sorting is a great way of getting good inexpensive feedback.
But it can be slow, and analysis can be hard.
Card sorting online with OptimalSort changes this.
OptimalSort makes it easy to organise and participate in card sorts
Participants click on a link you send them
They complete the card sort, you get the results immediately
Useful results. Immediately.
"Eyeballing" is the best (some say only) way of interpreting results
In other words, use common sense and experience to spot patterns
OptimalSort presents results online and as downloads
See all the labels participants used to name their categories
See what cards were placed under each category label
View individual sorts, or view results by participant type
See which category "won" (for closed card sorts)
Set up a card sort project in minutes.
Even if you're new to card sorting - set up is quick and easy
Customise your welcome message
Add survey questions (optional)
Modify the instructions for participants to suit your project
Add your cards and categories (we can help you pick these)
Tailor your thank you message and collect contact details
Launch the project and invite participants
Copy from our many examples and templates
The best way to understand OptimalSort is to try it.
Try a demonstration below to experience a card sort exercise.
Open sort demo
Users create their own categories to put cards into
Used for creating information architecture
Feedback on what content users group together
Understand what labels are used to describe content
Closed sort demo
Users have to put cards into pre-defined categories
Used to test information architecture designs.
Provides evidence to support or defend design decisions
Feedback on how effective your selected category labels are
Looking for help with your project?
We've designed OptimalSort to enable you to run card sort projects yourself. But we know the value of experience and another person to bounce ideas off.
If you're looking for help to set up a card sort project or provide advice on your information architecture, feel free to contact us. Unless it takes a lot of our time, we'd be happy to give free advice to get you going.
However, if you know you need something more substantial, we also provide consulting services.
Card sorting involves users of a website 'sorting' cards into groups that make the most sense to them. The stuff that is on the cards is the stuff that is on the website.
This process provides insight into how users think about information.
Open and closed card sorts
An open sort is where users define the groups they put cards into. They also come up with names to call these groups.
In a closed sort, you define the groups that users must put the cards into.
An open sort is used to help create an information architecture. A closed sort tends to be used to test or validate an existing design.
Running an online sort
1.
Set objectives Have clear objectives. Run an open sort for creating, run a closed sort for testing.
2.
Create cards Create cards with representative content and be careful not to bias participants.
3.
Get participants Find representative users and/or stakeholders. Send them a link to complete the card sort.
4.
Analyse results Look for patterns. Which labels were most common? What was placed under each category?
5.
Make changes, do another sort. A single card sort is unlikely to give you all the answers you want. Results will typically mean changes to your design, which will then need testing.
