15+ ways How not to do Card Sorting in UIUX & Product research - Common Designers mistakes

Card sorting is one of the very important way of sorting your data when you're doing product design research or UI UX research. And there has been a lot of materials in online this, that how to do card sorting, right? But let me tell you in this podcast how exactly mistakes can be avoided when doing that. Because it's a very important process. A lot of people don't know how not to do it. Okay, so jump into this podcast, let's see in detail. So the very first point, what I would like to tell you is biased opinions is a very big problem. Okay? So when you're doing a cart sorting, you should not be biased with one sided opinion. What will happen is your entire project will go in a big toss, it will go in a big flip and you will feel a lot of regret when you're going along the process not to change it. Okay, like let's say if you're invested a lot of project and lot of time and money in doing the research, and then later you found that this is completely based on a biased opinion, it would be very difficult to come back. That's why the biased opinion should be kept aside and you should be more conscious while you're sorting the cards or while you're sorting the information. Okay? And let me tell you particularly, card sorting is a method in UI UX research and product design research, guys, okay? This is a very simple tool to organize your information, how to categorize your content, particularly if it is involving lot of participants and lot of data and content has been generated by your groups. It arrives you in a proper, insightful way. It helps you understand the mental models of your user and how the information is being structured and organized. This is actually called card sorting. So now you can understand why being biased is a very big problem. Okay, so this is the very first thing not to do card sorting, okay? Being biased. Second is using your favoritism. See, already we are very easily tend to follow whatever data is very comfortable to us, right? So deliberately what will happen is people tend to choose that while they are sorting that information. So what happens is you should deliberately keep a difficult situation. Like let's say if you're giving a task to a user in order to use a card sorting method, let's say if you're giving a five different cards to your user, you're asking them to sort it out in a proper way, what will happen is people will tend to do it in their own regular way of doing it. So that's why you have to make that test little deliberate Little difficult. Let's say you add two more cards to make it little difficult. So what will happen is the user will go out of his comfort zone. He'll put a conscious efforts now he will arrange the cards in a different way. So what will happen is the user will tend to give more appropriate answer. Very important thing, okay? Third is you have to go through the user shoe. First you'll have to go through the understanding of how the user is going to go through this particular sorting process. How the user will journey throughout this process. And then you design your card sorting method so this will give you more appropriate answer. A lot of people don't do this. They just keep the cards, they just keep the information and people will just like that sorted. No guys, it's not like that. Fourth is find alternative and suitable ways. See, card sorting is not the only way in the world to do information sorting. You will have to think about multiple alternate ways and cross check this information, whatever you're getting. That's why the fifth important way is please do secondary research before you conclude any data. Lot of people don't do this. They just take the information, conclude the research, document the research and take it for ideation. It's a. You're not doing the proper honest justification for the process, guys. You will have to justify it with secondary research information and just don't believe 100% what people say. Okay? You will have to always cross check it and then take it forward. Okay? And the sixth important information is ask them the story and reiterate the process. Let's say if person is rearranging the cards, okay, you got the data from them, just take the card away from them and ask them, theoretically, what do you think sir, about this process? Theoretically, what do you think ma', am about the process, what you've arranged. Now they will tell a story for the information, what they sought. Like let's say it's like you're designing a coffee cup for the user. You're just asking them how will the whole sequence look like? You're putting the cards in front of them. So they're saying if he's a typical office goer, okay, office worker, and you're designing a coffee cup for them. It's a very big project what you're doing. So people will say, okay, so whenever a evening time happens, like let's say three to four, we find friends in order to have a conversation. Then we go for a cafeteria. Sometimes we take tea, sometimes we take coffee, sometimes we take snacks. We don't prefer coffee. And Then if you are preferring coffee, we are going to take the coffee and then we are using this color cup and then we are using this kind of cups. And then some people will be preferred to use steel cups, some people will be porcelain and then they will drink the coffee and they will wash and come back. This is the whole story. You have asked the user to sort the cards and put it in the front of the table. People are going to sort it out after they sort it out. Now you go and ask them how do you typically think a coffee is being consumed by you in office? Now the answer will be little different. It's not the way in which you thought, okay? Because the moment they see the cards, they'll be tending to follow a process. They'll give you some order, they'll give you some sorting method. The moment when you ask them a story, tell about your coffee experience or how do you really drink coffee in evening times or morning times, they will put a very different story narrative. It's not exactly hundred percent what they've sorted information. So that is why you'll have to keep that story. You'll have to keep that sorting method and try to mismatch the following what they found. And now you will get more relevant answer, more appropriate answers. Guys, a lot of people don't do this. They just take the information, take it forward. Okay, so having a methodology to correlate the information is very important. Have a reference, have any particular information which has been done similarly like let's say a benchmarking study or let's say a similar study which was done for a similar task. Try to understand the parameters on it. Lot of people again don't validate this method also by using some reference. That is why they were not able to clearly do this. Okay, and I'll tell you more apart from the six information what I told you guys, okay? See people don't have a proper clear objective before doing a card sorting. It's a very big problem. So a lot of people get this issue because people think that this is a very, very straightforward information and objective is not defined properly. So what happens is typically. So if you are doing a card sorting, the definition of a clear objective should be there. Very big problem which people don't do it. Okay, so avoid starting the card sorting session without this clear objective. And the eighth, See guys, I'm going beyond six and seven because while thinking about this topic I'm getting a lot of feedback and lot of things which has gone in my process, which we have did a lot of mistakes. Okay, Inadequate participant selection. So don't select participants who are not representative of your target audience. The results may be definitely inaccurate. Understand the mental model. Third important, I mean the ninth important information is overloading of participants. See, don't overwhelm participant with too many cards. It will lead to a lot of confusion. It will lead to a lot of mental fatigue. Give them three or four information on maximum. Five, ask them to sort it. The moment when you do it, people will have much clarity in what they are choosing as information. So what will happen is you will get more accurate data, you will get more clarity, you will get more understanding their accuracy of information. Okay? And Also the other 10th important information is ignoring user feedback. See, don't conduct card sorting without collecting qualitative feedback from the participant. The insights, what you are discussing, the insight, what you are gathering from the discussion always needs to be grouped in a particular way. And then now you convert it into a cards and take it out. So don't do this in a different way. So what will happen is the biasness will come again in the picture. So ignoring user feedback will be a big problem. So take in consideration before sorting out the cards. So the other mistake, what people do is not piloting the test. Avoid skipping the piloting phase. See, testing the card, sort of exercising is a small group activity before you can do. But make sure you do it with one or two participants before that and simulate that. Okay? And then you will have a much more conviction when you are able to do it in a bigger population or a bigger audience. And also the other big mistakes, what I will say the 11th mistake is limited analysis. See, avoid looking at the final groupings. Analyze the data in depth. Consider user comments feedbacks to understand the rational behind their choice. So don't go with the limited thinking. So just have a broader perspective. And the 12th important thing is disregarding the quantitative data. While qualitative insights are valuable, don't disregard the quantitative data. Also in card sorting, use 10 or 20, 30 other different people in order to get more information. And once if you're combining, you will have a more comprehensive understanding and neglecting iteration. Lot of people don't understand the importance of iteration. Please consider doing it one or two times. Yeah, of course time will go, but you will end up in a very good process and a more accurate solution which you will be having a more conviction to solve. Okay, so let me reiterate guys, biased opinion is a big problem favoritism and not having a proper difficult situation for the user. Because if you give an easier situation to sort user will tend to make it in a easier way. So deliberately give them some difficult task so that they are consciously making some decision. Okay? And the third important thing is stand in the user shoe and understand their pain point and then design this task. Fourth is find some alternative way also to finalize this data because card sorting is not the only way in the world to sort the information. 5th Important information is always do a secondary research, don't believe users 100%. Sixth important information is ask them a story and mismatch and find the mismatch what they sorted and what they told is really correct or not. And the sixth seventh important information is have a methodology and try to relevance it with the existing method what has been already done and try to correlate that. And the eighth important information is not having a proper definition and not having a proper clear objective is one of the big way which people do a card sorting so please try to avoid this. And the 9th information is inadequate participant selection and the 10th is overloading of participant with a lot of information. 11th is ignoring user feedback sometimes and 12th is not piloting the test and simulating before and 13th is ignoring the context and 14th is limited analysis. 15th is disregarding the quantitative feedback and the 16th is neglecting the power of iteration. I've told you more than 15 points guys how not to do cot sorting so please be mindful when you're doing it next time, okay? I hope this podcast would have given you clarity because if you're a UI UX designer or a product designer, data will be a big part of your research every time. So not knowing this cot sorting how to do it will cause a lot of problem. So hear it out one more time, take a lot of notes, share it with me in this about this podcast which I've given you in the Spotify and Apple definitely I'll be reading your comments and replying back to you. And if you're a selected winner you will be getting some free goodies and t shirts and other things from Design for Change guys. Okay, but if you wanted to take my mentorship program to learn it more detailed, how to do card sorting is not the only way. Also you can do lot more methods to do like let's say information architecture, a site map which we have already discussed. So lot of information is available in order to sort it out your thing and affinity mapping will be going into much detailing guys when you're doing a particular problem solving approach, okay, if you wanted to really taste that, jump into my mentorship program where in less than 90 days you will be start getting results as a designer going into your first job. If you're already a designer, we can able to help you double triple your salaries in less than 90 days. Okay? So thank you so much guys. Take care. All the best. Bye Bye.