[Sigia-l] Card sorting? Why?

[Bill Killam]

Stewart says...

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

You hit the nail on the head (sort of).  Card sorts CAN provide input data
to a design effort, but it's a lousy way to generate a design.  You may mean
that when you say noise.  For anyone who tries to use card sorts to generate
the architecture (which some people do), this would cross the line from
user-centered design to user-directed design; then there's the issue of
sufficient data to ensure a good representation of the end user population;
ensuring that there are not multiple viable architecture being mixed in the
results; basic design assumptions that user's may not know, may not
consider, or may consider in different ways (e.g., persistent elements in a
navigation, redundancy or not, etc.).

>What am I missing here?

Nothing.  You got it all.  The alternative, of course, is to get the design
input data from surveys, card sorts, focus groups, subject matter experts,
etc.; then develop potential architectures; then test with actual users,
then repeat as necessary 'til done.

Bill
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Bill Killam, MA CHFP
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