Physical and Online Card Sorts: A Practical Overview and Case Study
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This is a practical case study where I worked with an educational testing and assessment company to help them redesign their information architecture for their corporate intranet, using an open card sort. So many companies build corporate intranets and then dont do anything with them, so they just languish and are ignored by employees. The company clearly saw the benefit of a corporate intranet and wanted to improve the site for its employees. It saw this as a competitive advantage.
![InService
InForm
Youd think the [Accident and Injury Report] form is under InForm.
InService > HR > Policy Guide > General Administration > Operational Policies > Safety > Accident Reporting and Investigation
Plan > [Text Scroll Down Page] Accident Report Form (7 clicks)
A person could bleed to death before the form is even located!](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/physicalonlinecardsortscasestudythomasthompsonfinal-120729194340-phpapp01/85/Physical-and-Online-Card-Sorts-A-Practical-Overview-and-Case-Study-5-320.jpg)
![Current Navigational Hierarchy
Insite is broad and shallow
HR Policies & Procedures is narrow and deep
Insite Job Request Form: Policies and Procedures Safety Form:
InForm > Job Request Forms > Form (2 clicks) InService > HR > Policy Guide > General Administration >
Operational Policies > Safety > Accident Reporting and
Investigation Plan > [Text] Accident Report Form (7 clicks)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/physicalonlinecardsortscasestudythomasthompsonfinal-120729194340-phpapp01/85/Physical-and-Online-Card-Sorts-A-Practical-Overview-and-Case-Study-6-320.jpg)
![Analysis of Results
Mental image the user forms to understand how
software works and how to operate it
- Arnowitz et al (2007), Effective Prototyping for Software Makers
In the case of Insite, many participants in our card study
could not express a mental model of the website beyond the
use of In headings
But many did express their mental model of the ideal
Measured Progress intranet. One participant noted:
Theres stuff there that people need to do their jobs.
They need a reference library for working at the
company a big bookshelf of benefits and other
[information].](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/physicalonlinecardsortscasestudythomasthompsonfinal-120729194340-phpapp01/85/Physical-and-Online-Card-Sorts-A-Practical-Overview-and-Case-Study-26-320.jpg)
![ICF-related data: the new frontier of individualised, predictive healthcare ]...](https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/dtv8w8utqk2ngpvjhh1o-signature-ed09eebe028b42c0dd5fe83c2d913fb7e847b0bbdbaeeb79f594140f431a041d-poli-170903164202-thumbnail.jpg?width=560&fit=bounds)
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Physical and Online Card Sorts: A Practical Overview and Case Study
- 1. Physical and Online Card Sorts: A Practical Overview and Case Study Bob Thomas Katelyn Thompson May 28, 2008
- 2. Outline Scope, Goals, and Objectives Current Navigational Hierarchy Methodology Card Sorts Analysis of Results Recommendations Next Steps
- 3. Scope, Objectives, and Goals Mission Our mission is to improve teaching and learning by providing customized assessment products and educational services. (http://measuredprogress.org/aboutus/index.html) Scope This project is focused only on Insite, the companys intranet web site for employees. Objectives To make it easier for Measured Progress employees to find information on the intranet, i.e., to lead with the need. Goals Redesign Insite, focusing on the navigation and organization Make the site user friendly Make the site attractive to employees
- 4. Home HR Policies and Procedures The goal is to unite the separate Insite and HR Policies and Procedures sites, each created with different software applications. Participants commented that that they would like to use Search and Site Map features. These were linked only from the home page.
- 5. InService InForm Youd think the [Accident and Injury Report] form is under InForm. InService > HR > Policy Guide > General Administration > Operational Policies > Safety > Accident Reporting and Investigation Plan > [Text Scroll Down Page] Accident Report Form (7 clicks) A person could bleed to death before the form is even located!
- 6. Current Navigational Hierarchy Insite is broad and shallow HR Policies & Procedures is narrow and deep Insite Job Request Form: Policies and Procedures Safety Form: InForm > Job Request Forms > Form (2 clicks) InService > HR > Policy Guide > General Administration > Operational Policies > Safety > Accident Reporting and Investigation Plan > [Text] Accident Report Form (7 clicks)
- 7. Card Sorts: What Participants sort a series of cards, each labeled with a piece of content or functionality, into groups that make sense to them - Maurer & Warfel (2004), Card sorting: a definitive guide Closed card sorts Participants sort cards into predefined bins Open card sorts Participants sort cards and define bins
- 8. Card Sorts: Why Card sorting is excellent for situations where you want the users mental model to drive the information architecture of the product. - Courage & Baxter (2005), Understanding Your Users Open sorts are used for discovery. Closed sorts are used for validation. - Rosenfeld & Morville (2006), Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
- 9. Card Sorts: When Beginning of site creation Beginning of a site redesign Middle of a site redesign/creation
- 10. Card Sorts: Who Regarding users Recruit users familiar with the lingo But be cautious in a redesign with users who are familiar with the website or application
- 11. Card Sorts: Where Lab Moderated Physical or online Remote Moderated or un-moderated Restricted to online
- 12. Card Sorts: How Physical Participants may be apt to put more thought into sorting Online Cheaper Higher number of participants Eliminates data entry
- 13. Card Sorts: How Tools EZCalc MindCanvas OptimalSort SynCaps WebSort
- 15. Card Sorts: How Analysis More information to sift through with open sorts Dendrograms to see common groupings
- 16. Methodology Create and run an open card sort with 15 MP employees, including follow-up interviews Analyze quantitative and qualitative data Make recommendations for a new navigational hierarchy and structure
- 17. Open Card Sort # Card name 1 Corporate Graphics 2 Floor Plans 3 Facilities and Locations 4 Contacts 5 Employee Directory 6 Corporate Travel 7 Glossary and Acronyms 8 Mission and Philosophy 9 Safety 10 Reimbursement 11 Payroll 12 Purchasing and Requisitions 13 Workplace Policies 14 Hiring and Employment 15 Benefits 16 Work Schedules 17 Personnel Records 18 Shipping and Distribution 19 Printing and Copying 20 Helpdesk 21 Forms 22 Computer and Networks 23 Corporate Marketing and Branding 24 Information Technology 25 Phone and Conferencing 26 Contracts 27 Wellness Programs 28 Diversity 29 In/Out Board 30 News and Announcements 31 Photo Gallery 32 Corporate Events 33 Department Sites 34 For New Employees 35 Workplace Conduct 36 Recognition and Accomplishments
- 18. Participant Demographics All 15 participants had experience using Insite. We had participants from 9 different departments. We had 4 men and 11 women. P# Gender Department Used Insite? Hours Per Week Web Browser for Insite? What Do You Do on a Computer? 0-5 6-10 IE Firefox Word processing Emailing Web Browsing 1 F Testing Services Y x x x x x 2 F Human Resources Y x x x x 3 M Client Services Y x x x x x 4 F Human Resources Y x x x x x 5 F Testing Services Y x x x x x 6 F Office of Technology Y x x x x x 7 F Finance Y x x x x x 8 M Testing Services Y x x x x x 9 F Client Services Y x x x x x 10 F Operational Services Y x x x x x 11 M Scoring Y x x x x x 12 F Process Coordination Y x x x x x 13 F Marketing Y x x x x x 14 F Client Services Y x x x x x 15 M Marketing Y x x x x x
- 19. Sample Open Card Sort Results: Major Navigation Categories WHAT I WANT TO USE Home Page Contracts Forms WHAT I WANT TO REFER TO Department Sites Employee Directory Working at Measured Progress Helpdesk
- 20. Analysis of Results We began to see trends after the first day of testing (5 participants) Table 2. Main categories among first five participants.
- 21. Analysis of Results After all 15 card sorts were completed, standardized the main categories. Gave categories with similar names or concepts a consistent name and combined groups where participants used the same basic concept but a slightly different label - Maurer (2007), Instructions for Use: Card Sort Analysis Spreadsheet
- 22. Analysis of Results We started with 106 original categories from all 15 participants, and applied consistent naming conventions. Table 3. Standardized categories derived from original categories.
- 23. Analysis of Results Second, combined similar standardized categories and arrived at a total of 13 standardized categories. Table 4. Final list of 13 standardized categories. 0.67
- 25. Analysis of Results Table 5. Mapping the dendrogram groupings to primary and secondary navigation areas.
- 26. Analysis of Results Mental image the user forms to understand how software works and how to operate it - Arnowitz et al (2007), Effective Prototyping for Software Makers In the case of Insite, many participants in our card study could not express a mental model of the website beyond the use of In headings But many did express their mental model of the ideal Measured Progress intranet. One participant noted: Theres stuff there that people need to do their jobs. They need a reference library for working at the company a big bookshelf of benefits and other [information].
- 27. Analysis of Results Participants wanted easier access to information using primary, secondary, and third-level navigation Participants wanted a consistent navigational structure, i.e., one that didnt change. Participants wanted HR Policies and Procedures broken into two separate categories: HR Forms (such as Corporate Travel, Payroll, Requisitions) HR Policies (such as Diversity, Safety, Workplace Conduct)
- 28. Analysis of Results Use a navigation hierarchy of medium depth and breadth Use a primary navigation hierarchy of no more than 8 or 9 categories Go 3 or 4 levels deep Put Search at the top of every page Put Site Map link on every page
- 29. Recommendations
- 30. Recommendations
- 31. Next Steps Develop wire frames of all eight primary navigational categories. Present the wire frames to the design team. Develop paper prototypes of the Insite Home page and one other subsection, such as HR. Test the usability of the paper prototypes with eight participants, using task-based scenarios. For example: You are going on a business trip for Measured Progress. Using the web site, how would you complete the pre-approval process for your trip? Develop electronic versions of the Insite Home page and one other subsection, such as HR. Test the usability of the electronic versions with eight participants, using task-based scenarios, as discussed above. Redesign Insite based on results from the usability test.
Editor's Notes
- #8: Talk about each one, show a demo of one or two