Syntagm > Design for Usability > Services | Information Architecture

Information Architecture

Successful...

• information architecture
• navigation design
• menu design
• screen design

all rely on knowing where users expect to find things. Guessing is not a good solution to this problem and usability testing is not appropriate for determining how a significant number of items should be organized.

Card sorting is an ideal user-centred solution to many issues of organization. It is relatively quick even for a large number of items and with skilled use can provide a wide range of useful data regarding the items sorted, categories (groups) and the participants themselves.

The sorting process itself can be done face-to-face (shown above) or remotely, using a web site (below).

Each has its own merits and drawbacks, so it is important to understand the best approach for your specific needs.

Use the Experts

We invented the paper card sorting procedure shown above (Computer Aided Paper Sorting - CAPS) plus an innovative analysis package, SynCaps, used by researchers around the world for processing both paper and remote sorting results. Consequently, we are well-placed to help you with any research or design task involving card sorting:

• Information architecture
• Application menu design
• Evaluation of existing designs (navigational alignment)

No matter how big or small your challenge, feel free to get in touch.

Keywords: card sorting, information architecture, menu design, screen design, cluster analysis, caps, syncaps