What is an optimalsort?
Optimalsort is another word for card sorting. This terminology was brought into the UX world by Optimal Workshop and it quite often confuses people who are new to testing.
The truth is, optimalsort is just another name for their card sorting tool. This means that you can conduct an optimalsort and improve your website’s information architecture using any of the tools from my best card sorting tools list.
How to set up an optimalsort?
Just like any card sorting process, optimalsort includes 5 main steps:
Choose the type of card sorting you want to use.
There are 3 types: Open, Closed and Hybrid. Each has its own specifics, and works best for different purposes, learn more about the types of card sorting here.
Create cards
Cards represent the content items from your website that you want testers to categorize.
Define categories
Or don’t. This step is optional, depending on the type of card sorting you choose and the goals of your study.
Add screening questions
Essential step that will help to make your study results more helpful. Screening your respondents makes sure you only test your target audience by asking them some relevant questions in the beginning.
Find the respondents
You can share a link to your study via email or social media, add a widget to the website and offer a reward or just recruit testers from the user panel, which some of the online card sorting tools provide.
When do you need an optimalsort?
Optimalsort, or card sorting can be conducted at any stage of the development process as well as on the already existing website. Use optimalsort when:
- You are building a website and want to create an intuitive navigation
- You need to find out if the content on an already running web is logically structured
- When you feel like you need help with labelling certain categories
- When you need to know what content goes best together
Tips for a successful sort
There are several tips that everybody needs to be aware of before they start their first study. First, always try to illustrate your cards with images, if it’s possible. This will make it easier for the respondents to analyze and categorize information.
A second tip is to recruit an optimal number of respondents, which is usually 20-50 people. But note, the numbers can vary, depending on the purpose and the scale of your study.
Another thing you should not forget is to give users a small brief on what’s about to happen before every sort. These instructions will help you avoid needless confusion and inaccuracies.
You can check out more tips on my card sorting tips and tricks page. A great way to evaluate the success level of your card sorting is to vonduct a usability testing study and see if users are able to find their way around your content.
Optimalsort
What is an optimalsort?
Optimalsort is another word for card sorting. This terminology was brought into the UX world by Optimal Workshop and it quite often confuses people who are new to testing.
The truth is, optimalsort is just another name for their card sorting tool. This means that you can conduct an optimalsort and improve your website’s information architecture using any of the tools from my best card sorting tools list.
How to set up an optimalsort?
Just like any card sorting process, optimalsort includes 5 main steps:
Choose the type of card sorting you want to use.
There are 3 types: Open, Closed and Hybrid. Each has its own specifics, and works best for different purposes, learn more about the types of card sorting here.
Create cards
Cards represent the content items from your website that you want testers to categorize.
Define categories
Or don’t. This step is optional, depending on the type of card sorting you choose and the goals of your study.
Add screening questions
Essential step that will help to make your study results more helpful. Screening your respondents makes sure you only test your target audience by asking them some relevant questions in the beginning.
Find the respondents
You can share a link to your study via email or social media, add a widget to the website and offer a reward or just recruit testers from the user panel, which some of the online card sorting tools provide.
When do you need it?
Optimalsort, or card sorting can be conducted at any stage of the development process as well as on the already existing website. Use optimalsort when:
- You are building a website and want to create an intuitive navigation
- You need to find out if the content on an already running web is logically structured
- When you feel like you need help with labelling certain categories
- When you need to know what content goes best together
Tips for a successful sort
There are several tips that everybody needs to be aware of before they start their first study. First, always try to illustrate your cards with images, if it’s possible. This will make it easier for the respondents to analyze and categorize information.
A second tip is to recruit an optimal number of respondents, which is usually 20-50 people. But note, the numbers can vary, depending on the purpose and the scale of your study.
Another thing you should not forget is to give users a small brief on what’s about to happen before every sort. These instructions will help you avoid needless confusion and inaccuracies.
You can check out more tips on my card sorting tips and tricks page.
Want To Learn More About Card Sorting?
Check Out Our Card Sorting Tools Comparison Page