Card Sorting
Write each feature on a card, let users group them and name each group. You'll walk away with a categorization logic completely different from your own.
What you will run into
- 分类怎么改都有人说找不到，但你说不清问题在哪
- 团队内部为「这个功能算不算那一类」反复讨论
- 导航名字是照着内部叫法定的，用户听不懂
How to Run It
| 步骤 | 具体做法 |
|---|---|
| 准备 | 把二十到四十个功能各写一张卡片。用用户能懂的说法，别用内部术语 |
| 开放分类 | 让他自由分组，组数不限，然后给每组起名。这一轮拿到的是他的心智模型 |
| 封闭分类 | 给定你的分组名，让他把卡片放进去。这一轮验证的是你的方案能不能被理解 |
| 追问 | 对犹豫超过几秒的卡片，问他当时在想什么。这些卡片就是分类边界模糊的地方 |
Five to eight people is enough. By the fifth person you'll notice almost no new groupings appearing.
How to Read the Results
- Look at which cards always stay together. If most people group them together, these features are one thing in users' minds, and they should sit together in the interface.
- Look at which cards wander everywhere. If everyone places them differently, the feature's positioning itself is blurry—you may need to rename it or split it.
- Look at the group names they come up with. Use these words directly as navigation labels; they'll be more accurate than what you'd come up with. "Stuff about money" probably should be called "Checkout," not "Financial Management."
- Look at where they hesitate. Going back and forth on a single card means you've cut your categories along the wrong dimension—this card belongs to two at once.
How to Do It Solo
If you can't run a formal study, there are a few low-cost alternatives.
| 做法 | 怎么执行 |
|---|---|
| 找三个目标用户线上做 | 用任意白板工具，把卡片摆出来让他拖。二十分钟一个人 |
| 用反向测试代替 | 给他一个任务，看他第一次点哪儿。比分类测试更快，但拿不到组名 |
| 看竞品怎么分 | 三四个同类产品的导航结构。用户的心智已经被它们塑造过了 |
| 让 AI 扮演用户先跑一轮 | 拿不到真实心智，但能快速暴露明显不合理的分组，用来筛掉最差的方案 |