Card sorting is a research method where participants organise cards into categories that make sense to them. It is commonly used to improve information architecture, navigation, and content structure. As a researcher, you can use the results to find patterns and understand how users expect information to be organised.
Types of card sorts
Ballpark supports three types:
Open: Participants create all of the categories themselves. Open sorts are the most generative, as participants share their ideas for new categories without any influence from you. Best for early-stage research.
Closed: Participants sort cards into categories you have predefined. Closed sorts are the most evaluative, letting you test whether there is full agreement with an existing set of categories.
Hybrid: Participants sort cards into predefined categories but can also create their own. A great follow-up to an open sort where you can pre-define categories that had high agreement, while still allowing new groupings.
Adding a card sort to your study
Open your study and click Add step in the sidebar.
Select Open, Closed, or Hybrid card sort.
Click Add new card on the left-hand side of the step.
Enter your card title. You can also add a description and image (optional).
Continue until you have added all of your cards.
If you are creating a closed or hybrid sort, click Add new category and enter your categories.
Optionally, customise the instructions or record a video guide to explain the task.
Bulk adding cards and categories
You can paste multiple cards or categories at once from a spreadsheet, where each row represents a card or category. Titles and descriptions can be separated by a tab or comma. Click Bulk add cards/categories in the Builder to use this feature.
Additional options
Click Options on the step to access these settings:
Required step: Participants must sort all cards before continuing.
Randomize cards: Display cards in a random order each time the study is taken.
Max cards per category: Limit how many cards can be added to a single category.
Rank / Card number: Display a sequential number on each card as it is added to a category.
Tips for getting good results
Aim for 20 to 40 cards. Fewer than 15 may not give enough data, and more than 50 can feel overwhelming.
Use real content labels rather than abstract placeholders.
For open sorts, avoid giving hints about how cards might be grouped.
Run a closed sort as a follow-up to validate the categories that emerged from an open sort.
Pause your study before standardising categories in your analysis to ensure the integrity of your findings.
Next steps
Once you have responses, head to analysing card sorts to see how participants grouped your cards, including agreement rates, similarity matrices, and category breakdowns. You can also export card sort data as a CSV for further analysis.