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What is a card sort?

User Acceptance Test: Card Sort

Here's how to perform a simple usability test called a card sort:

Make a list of all the content for your site
Put each of those topics on a 3x5 card
Sort these cards into different piles of similar content
Name each of those piles using one to two words
Put that name on a new card or sticky note and wrap each pile with a rubber band

For example, you might put all your press releases, company information and directions in pile and call that ABOUT US. After sorting the cards yourself, make a 3 - 5 additional sets of these cards and ask colleagues, customers or friends to go through the same exercise of sorting and naming the piles of content. Resist assisting them in this process since you really want to know how others are looking at your content. Sometimes it's best to leave the room while the tester sorts the cards. Once you have done this with three to five people, compare the piles and names. You will see clearly that not everyone would organize your content the way you would! Consider their input and from these results, you should be able to define your primary (and secondary) navigation topics.

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