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| OptimalSort has many features that make it
a worthwhile user
research tool for information architects. |
| Flexibility Card sorting exercises are a quick, cost effective method of gaining user feedback about the organization and labelling of content on/for a website. OptimalSort is easy to set up and execute and as it is web-based, it is beneficial for obtaining feedback from remote users who may otherwise be left out of usability testing. This is particular useful when working with national or multi-national organizations. The ability to conduct both open and closed card sorting exercises adds to the flexibility of the tool as you can begin with an open card sorting exercise which can then be repeated as a closed card sorting exercise further along the information architecture design process. The inclusion of a survey component also increases the tools flexibility. |
| Ease of
use The slick modern website is easy to navigate as is the administration component of the tool. A card sorting exercise can be set up in minutes, even by novices without much card sorting experience. However, in the participants view, I did find the drag and drop functionality a little temperamental to operate. Many times the cards were not placed where I wanted them to go. This could become frustrating for some users with poor mouse skills. |
| Results The omission of dendrograms for cluster analysis makes OptimalSort stand out from its' competitors. I believe the results received from OptimalSort are easier to understand in these formats. Specifically the A to Z labels list makes it clearer to see what labels are preferred by users. |
| Support OptimalSort provides extensive help and support pages to assist with the tool. The company behind OptimalSort is open about accepting feedback to enhance the tool. There is also a product blog which provides further information and assistance. The occurrence of real life card sorting demonstrations to take part in, is a useful addition to the OptimalSort website. These could be used for newcomers to the profession to acquaint themselves with card sorting exercises or as a teaching tool for information architects to demonstrate their effectiveness to key stakeholders in an information architecture project. |
| Cost Like most web-based software tools, OptimalSort has a range of pricing options available. This includes a limited free account, or other pricing plans based on time frames, 30 days, 90 days or per annum each with unlimited numbers of projects, cards, and participants for $109, $199 and $559 US respectively. The pricing plans based on time frames demonstrates to me that the company behind OptimalSort are fully aware of the time factor nature of usability research. |
| Summary I believe OptimalSort to be a worthwhile user research tool which would particularly benefit information architects working with multi-site organizations. The ability to conduct both open and closed sorts increases its flexibility as does the survey component. |
| © Rachel Crowe June 2008. All rights reserved. |