The Card Sort block helps you understand how participants naturally organise and categorise information. Use this method to inform information architecture decisions, validate navigation structures, or discover how users mentally group content.

Card sort type

First, decide which type fits your research needs by selecting the appropriate option. 

Closed: Participants sort cards into predefined categories you provide, ideal for validating existing category structures and testing whether your current navigation makes sense to users.
Hybrid: Participants can use your predefined categories or create their own, combining the benefits of both approaches and allowing flexibility while providing some structure for refining existing categories.
Open: Participants create their own categories and sort cards freely, best for discovering natural mental models and user language patterns early in the design process.

Cards setup

From the card sort block navigate to the cards setup by clicking ‘Add cards’.

Card content

Card label: Keep labels concise but descriptive
Description: Optional additional context if the label alone isn't clear

Card options

Require all cards to be sorted: Toggle on to ensure participants place every card into a category before completing the task. This prevents incomplete data but may force placements that don't feel natural.
Show descriptions: Enable to display card descriptions to participants, helpful when cards need additional explanation or context.
Require cards to be ranked: Participants will rank cards within each category by importance or preference, providing additional insight into priorities.
Randomise card order: Present cards in different orders for each participant to prevent order bias affecting sorting decisions.

Categories setup

For closed and hybrid card sorts navigate to the categories setup by clicking ‘Add categories’.

Category content

Category label: Choose names that clearly represent the grouping concept
Description: Provide additional context about what belongs in this category
Card limits: Set maximum number of cards allowed per category (optional)

Category options

Show descriptions: Help participants understand what each category represents
Set card limits: Prevent categories from becoming catch-alls by limiting how many cards can be placed in each
Randomise category order: Present categories in different orders to reduce position bias

Stack ranking using card sort

When you enable ‘Require cards to be ranked’, participants will rank cards within each category by priority or preference, providing additional insight beyond just grouping.

After participants sort cards into a category, they'll drag cards within each category to rank them from most to least important (or by whatever criteria you specify in your task instructions).

Setting up stack rank

Add a Card Sort task block
Add your cards and enable Require card to be ranked in the card options
Set the card sort type as Closed
Add a single category for participants to rank the cards within
In your task instructions make it clear that you are asking participants to rank each of the cards inside the category and the criteria you would like them to order them by.

Stack rank results

Navigate to the Categories tab in your card sort results to view how participants ranked cards within categories.

Expand the category to reveal the cards sorted by their average rank position. Cards are displayed in order of their Avg rank - the average position participants placed each card within the category, where 1 represents the highest priority and higher numbers indicate lower priority rankings.

Best practices

Task instructions

Explain the real-world context for the sorting task
Clarify whether participants should think as users or from their own perspective
Provide examples if the sorting concept isn't familiar to participants