Card Sorts
Card sorts are a participatory tool to engage respondents in categorising, organising or ordering information. Cards often have visuals or text information. Card sorts can be used in interviews or focus groups.
Related Approaches and Tools
Participatory Rural Appraisal
Digital Tools
Thematic Analysis
Sensemaking Workshop
Generating Insights
Card sorts are a participatory tool to engage respondents in categorising, organising or ordering information. Cards often have visual or textual information. During interviews or focus groups, participants collaboratively sort cards into clusters or groups. Cards can also be used as visual conversations starters.
The activity has three objectives:
- Encourage participants to reflect on their own lives and the changes related to the program
- Help participants create categories of cards based on their experiences
- Collect GESI-related insights through card groupings
Step 1. Clarify the objective of the card sort
In this first step, facilitators will need to reflect on exactly what they hope to achieve using a card sort. There can be multiple objectives. Some possible objectives include:
- Breaking the ice in groups
- Creating clusters or groups of information
- Ranking information
- Introducing topics for discussion
- Identifying differences in individual perspectives
Step 2. Curate the cards
Identify the types of cards to be used in the sort. Options include but are not limited to:
- Sanitation Technologies
- Water Technologies
- Physical Locations
- People
- GEDSI Outcomes
Select a sub-set of cards to use with in the sort. 10-15 cards is a good number to start with. Add titles and random numbers to each card to aid in the collection and analysis processes.
Step 3. Use the card sort
At the appropriate time during the interview or focus groups and follow these subs-steps:
- Introduce the cards by spreading them out in front of the participant(s).
- Clarify each card to make sure the participant(s) understand what they mean.
- Introduce the activity that you would like the participant(s) to do. Request that the participant(s) speak through their decisions.
- Step back and let the participants conduct the activity.
- Write down observations of cards that are difficult or require more discussion.
- Probe participant(s) to explain their decisions.
- Once the cards are sorted, ask the participant(s) if they wish to make any changes.
- Write down the order of the cards. You may want to also take a photograph of the sort.
Step 4. Data analysis, sensemaking and sharing
The final step is to analyse the responses to identify key themes and to share with relevant stakeholders.
- Compile card sorts. We recommend using Excel or post-it notes and placing the cards across the top of the page as columns. Then, for each row place, the sort data for each participant or group.
- Conduct thematic analysis. Drawing on the compiled sorts, search for patterns and themes within the data. Explore differences by age, gender, ethnicity,or other aspects. This may take on a different shape if the analysis is longitudinal, comparative, or retrospective.
- Generate insights. Bringing together the compiled sorts and analysis to create insights from the data.
- Sensemaking workshop. In a workshop setting, explore the data with a group of key stakeholders.
Travel Restricted Times
While card sorting is best done in person to ensure that facilitators can observe participants throughout the sort, they can also be completed using participatory methods.
Keeping in mind differences in access and literacy, think about different ways to facilitate and plan a card sort activity.
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Computer and internet access |
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Smartphone and internet access |
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Basic phone access |
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See an example of participatory activities using Google Slide.
Learn more on the digital tools page.
Materials
Gender Equality Outcomes Cards
This set of cards includes a selection of visualisation representations of possible gender equality related outcomes.
People Cards
This set of cards includes a variety of stylised cartoon people from differnet backgrounds.
Location Cards
This set of cards includes a selection of different physical locations such as offices, schools and clinics.
Water Technology Cards
This set of cards includes a selection of water technologies.
Sanitation Technology Cards
This set of cards includes a selection of sanitation technologies.
Card Sorting Approaches
Pile Sorting
Participants sort cards into piles. The piles can be pre-determined or determined by the participants. 3-pile sorting using Likert scale options is common. For example, into 1) see often in my community; 2) see sometimes in my community; and 3) don’t see in my community.
Ladder
Participants sort cards into a continuous spectrum. This allows cards to be ranked in a specific order. For example, cards can be ordered from ‘worst’ to ‘best’, or ‘most like me’ to ‘least like me’.
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