Card Sort

Card sort

What

In a card sort, participants are asked to sort cards with words or images related to a specific topic. They are then asked to give reasons for their classification.

Why

A card sort obliges participants to create a classification. This is often done very implicitly. Discussing this afterwards makes the underlying considerations explicit. This gives insight into the way participants view the world and what they find important.

How

  1. Decide what you want to use a card sort to research. Do you want to improve the understanding of the issue, work towards solutions, map specific needs, clarify contextual factors or do something else?
  2. Define as many topics as possible that are related to what you intend to research.
  3. Select thirty to fifty topics. Ensure that they are varied enough and that together they cover enough terrain. Ensure a good balance between abstract and concrete topics.
  4. Create a card for each topic. A card can have a word, a sentence or a fitting illustration.
  5. Print the cards.
  6. Formulate instructions, the sorting methods (e.g. by personal preference, common ground, importance, potency, collective or individual value, sequence) and questions to ask during the card sort.
  7. Explain how the card sort works. Ask the participant to think out loud during the card sort.
  8. Have the participant order the cards according to the method you have decided on up front.
  9. For each sorting method, take the time to figure out how this order came about. Ask the questions you formulated in advance and ask follow-up questions.

Compare @count study programme

  • @title

    • Duration: @duration
Compare study programmes