I never realized how important it was to make a Website user-friendly, but now I see that if a site is not easily accessible, people will not use them. As I read the articles on designing a user friendly Website, I realized that the way I use the Web is exactly as they were describing—I scan the page and click on what looks the most like what I am looking for. I don’t read all the useless words on the page which would take too much of my precious time. It helps when things are neatly in order and in a place where they are easy to find. On way to do this is to use a method called card sorting.

Card sorting is a user-centered design method or technique that helps the designer plan the site, giving structure to the design process, labeling each piece and categorizing it into groups, enabling users to quickly find their way around the site. Although it doesn’t replace the final structure, it does give stability to the design and helps answer questions.

It is an inexpensive and reliable way to sort your information and giving it overall structure. It helps you create findability on your site and will generate return customers. Basically, card sorting groups your items together by type, style, size or whatever other category you may choose that make sense to the user. Using this method will equip you for the information design process.

There are two primary methods for performing card sorts.

  • Open 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.
  • Closed 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.
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