Card Sorting: Organizing the UX Universe

Card Sorting is a user-centred design method used to inform or evaluate the information architecture of a website, app, or other digital products. It's a technique that helps UX designers understand how users categorize and navigate information.

During a card sorting session, participants are given a set of cards, each labelled with a piece of content or functionality. Participants are then asked to categorize these cards in a way that makes sense to them. They might be asked to sort them into predefined categories (closed card sort), or they might be allowed to create their own categories (open card sort). There's also a hybrid version where participants sort cards into predefined categories, but can also create their own if needed.

The results from card sorting can be used to design or evaluate the information architecture of a product. For instance, the categories that participants create can inform menu labels, and the grouping of cards can guide the structuring of content or functionality. This can help designers create more intuitive and user-friendly navigation.

It's important to note that card sorting doesn't provide all the answers. It's best used in conjunction with other methods and data. Also, it's crucial to involve users who are representative of the end-users in the card sorting sessions. After all, the goal is to understand the mental models of the end-users, not the designers or stakeholders.