[Sigia-l] card sorting: dealing with multiple placements

[Derek R]

Jess started thread writing:
>>| Hi all,
>>|
>>| A friend of mine is doing the IA for a medical web site.
>>| She's run into the ever-present problem of categorization
>>| for her resources list. I told her to do a card sort, but she 
>>| asked me how I'd handle it if people wanted to [mess with
>>| the existing system] . . . .

Donna replied writing:
>| In the end, I'm looking for some type of pattern
>| amongst the participants' answers to gain an 
>| insight into underlying patterns in content
>|
>| I'm not looking for the definitive result from the card sort


Donna's words are probably the greater Wisdom to be gained from this
thread.

IAs, in general, appear to gravitate towards the deliverable as the
'secret key' to unlock all mysteries. This exposes, in my opinion, their
nativity regarding true field research and sociological/psychological
methods of inquiry.

Business, in general, shouldn't let IAs anywhere near 'users' for
testing or research purposes, since the typical 'library science' IA
background has not -- in any way -- prepared them to accurately perform
these duties.

IAs are much better situated and experienced at creating *deliverables*
-- which is a 'systematized' thing -- like the library 'Dewey Decimal'
system. These 'systematized' things are *implemented onto* to users, NOT
the other way around (i.e. 'users informing' thru testing/research).

For instance, when you go into a library and ask for direction, the
librarian 'instructs/helps' you to alter *yourself* to adapt to the
existing system. They NEVER inquire (and are never taught) how to alter
*their* system to adaptability thru user-input. 

The librarian is a conciliator (as they are taught) in the service of
the existing system (which does not change). The librarian has no
interest -- indeed no learned ability -- in *how* to 'learn from the
user.'

Nevertheless, many businesses continue to ask IAs to perform these very
difficult, necessary, and sensitive research/testing duties from which
all their end-user business decisions are informed. IMHO, they get what
they asked for.