Card Sort

What is card sort?

Card Sort

Card sort is a method to uncover mental modals by letting participants organize cards into categories

Definition

Daniel Wirtz

Co-Founder, Facilitator School

Last updated

June 14, 2024

A card sort is an engaging and effective technique that deploys categorized cards to help sort data or ideas into approachable groups, useful particularly during meetings or workshops to unravel complex discussions or planning strategies. It encourages group interaction and ensures everyone’s perspective is considered, fostering inclusive decision-making and efficient problem-solving.

Card sorting helps in visualizing the relationship between different ideas. It breaks down larger, more abstract concepts into manageable parts, making it easier to identify links and divergences. This method ensures a methodical approach in addressing complex scenarios, ensuring clarity and alignment among participants, which is particularly crucial in settings like business strategy sessions.

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Card Sort

Why should you do a card sort?

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Card sorting is a versatile and powerful method for enhancing engagement and understanding among team members during meetings or workshops. By allowing participants to categorize and prioritize content in a visual and interactive way, it leverages the collective intelligence of the group to surface unspoken assumptions and align understanding across diverse perspectives.

When should you do a card sort?

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Timing for a card sort is pivotal and should be integrated when you need to clarify complex information or when the team needs to agree on certain priorities or categorizations. This could be during the early stages of project planning, when setting clear, mutual understandings is crucial. It’s also highly effective during strategy workshops or when building a new team structure.

What kinds of card sorting are there?

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Card sorting can be open, where participants create and label their own categories, or closed, where they sort items into predefined categories. Open sorts are useful for exploring new ideas and gathering insights, while closed sorts are better for validating or testing existing structures. Both approaches can be conducted physically with tangible cards or virtually using specialized card sorting software.

How should you analyze card sort data?

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Analysis of card sort data typically involves looking for patterns in how cards are grouped, which can be manually or with the aid of software. Software tools can offer quick insights through automated algorithms that detect commonalities and differences, providing a statistical basis for the groupings. The resulting patterns are then used to guide decisions about categorization, prioritization, or even to inform further steps in a project management or design process.