Optimal

Learn how to build, run and analyze your card sort studies

Card sorting

Learn how to turn on session replay for card sorts, view participant recordings, and more.

Guide to using session replay

Can participants categorise the categories they are creating in a card sort?

Placing your categories in categories of their own

Can participants add cards to a card sort as well as creating categories?

Participants adding cards to your card sort

Learn how to effectively use card sorting to carry out remote research and get the insights you need.

Demo: Card sorting

Create cards or import labels from a spreadsheet, add descriptions and images, and customize which cards are shown.

Add or import cards to your card sort

Learn how to create cards that will help you get useful insights from your participants.

How to write effective card labels

Learn how to create categories, add category descriptions, and set category card and name settings.

Create categories for a closed or hybrid card sort

Write personalized welcome, thank you and instructional messages to your participants and add a redirect URL to your study.

Add messages and instructions to your study

To make sure your participants meet your criteria you can set screening questions at the start of your study.

Add participant screening questions

Learn how to add pre- and post-study questions to your card sort and the different types of questions we offer.

Add pre- and post-study questions

Use Optimal's AI Simplify feature to refine your screening, pre- and post-study questions.

How to simplify questions with AI

Learn how to build and manage your card sorting study from start to finish with the Study Flow tab.

Building a study with the Study Flow

How to use the Image Manager to add images to your study messages and questions.

Upload images to messages and questions

Learn about the three types of card sorts, when to use them, and the results you'll see.

Choose between an open, closed, or hybrid card sort

Learn about why you might want all participants to sort all cards and name all categories before finishing.

Customize participant options in cards and categories tabs

Learn which items your participants would prioritize based on a given criteria in a card sort.

Run a closed sort to prioritize content

Learn how to add display and branching logic to your study questions.

Adding logic to your screener, pre-, and post- study questions

Set up a card sort with Optimal

Review your participants, segment results based on question response, participant ID or identifier, URL tags and categories created.

Segment your participant data in card sorting

See at a glance where your participants placed each card in the Cards tab.

How to use the Cards tab

Learn how to interpret the card sorting data from your participants and how to standardize categories they've created.

Understand and standardize categories

Learn how to interpret the 2 different dendrograms in your open and hybrid card sorts and the main differences between them.

Interpret dendrograms for open and hybrid card sorts

Learn how to use the similarity matrix to get a quick insight into cards your participants paired together.

Understand the similarity matrix

Learn how to read the participant-centric analysis visualization to help you see the three most popular participant IAs.

Interpret the participant-centric analysis (PCA)

Learn how to read the standardization grid for open and hybrid card sorts to see common patterns in your data.

Interpret the standardization grid for open and hybrid card sorts

Learn how to read the results matrix so you can see the number of times each card was sorted into categories by your participants.

Interpret the results matrix for closed card sorts

Learn how to interpret the card sorting 3D cluster view on the results tab and how it compares to other analysis methods.

Using the 3D cluster view (3DCV) visualization

Download your card sorting results as spreadsheets

Analyze your card sorting results

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