What design method involves participants organizing topics into categories that make sense to them?

• A. card sorting
• B. usability testing
• C. persona development
• D. information auditing

Answer: (A)

Card sorting is a design activity where people group topics or content into categories that feel natural to them. By arranging topic cards in ways that make sense to users, designers uncover how the information should be organized, name the labels that users expect, and create an information architecture that aligns with users’ mental models. This method is ideal when you want to discover intuitive structure from the perspective of actual users, especially when there isn’t an established taxonomy yet. Usability testing examines how well a design works in use, persona development creates representative user archetypes, and information auditing evaluates the completeness and accuracy of content; none of these focus on letting people organize topics into their own categories.