[Sigia-l] Card sorting? Why?

[Todd Warfel]

Sounds like more of a problem with the execution of the method than  
the actual method itself. Just goes to show you that even though it's  
a simple technique, if it's not done properly, it provides little  
value, or worse, negative value.

(more below)
On Nov 15, 2005, at 8:56 AM, Stewart Dean wrote:

> I have been thinking about this for a while - why base the  
> structure of a site upon words at all? It appears that it's usage  
> and the areas of information that are what we are organising, not  
> the labels.  I see a large amount of what I do about providing  
> context and taking elements out of context and rearranging them  
> feels to me as the opposite of what I do when I create the  
> information architecture for a site.

Well, when we do it, we provide context.

First, we give a bit of context to what the site or application is  
about (a web-based system that enables you to view caller ID  
information and listen to your voice mail. It's like you wold do at  
home now, except that since it's web-based, you could access it from  
work, or when you're traveling).

Then, we place an element on one side (Forwarded Calls) of the index  
card, and a brief description on the back (A list of calls that have  
been forwarded to another number).

Context is key.

> In short I put card sorting in the same pile as focus groups - in  
> that it adds noise to the solution rather than clarity.

Yea, I'm not a big fan of most marketing research methods or of focus  
groups. But they are useful on occasion (to gather opinions moreso  
than analyze behaviors).

However, when done correctly, a good card sort can provide context  
into the customers' mental model, why they think certain items are  
related, how they're related, and to what extent.

Saying card sorting has no value is like saying folksonomies have no  
value. They both are valuable, but need to be used correctly. Both  
card sorting and folksonomies can add noise, or they can give you  
context to make your organizational structure that much more effective.

Cheers!

Todd R. Warfel
Partner, Design & Usability Specialist
Messagefirst | making products & services easier to use
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