Card Sorting Research for Caregiving Platform (GetCare)

As part of a graduate-level UX research course, I conducted a card sorting study to help a fictional caregiving platform, GetCare, improve the organization of its caregiver search interface. The platform needed clarity on what information users want to filter by when searching for caregivers, versus what should be presented within caregiver profiles.

The business question:

What attributes do users consider essential for filtering caregivers vs. browsing within their profiles?

 Methodology

Approach:
 I used a hybrid, unmoderated card sorting method to gather qualitative insights into users’ mental models of information organization. The study was conducted remotely using Miro, allowing participants to complete the task independently.

Participants:

  • 19 graduate students (UX and Psychology backgrounds)

  • Convenience sample from my Intervention Design & Usability Testing class

  • Though not the target demographic for caregiver seekers, their understanding of UX principles made them effective for exploratory analysis

Materials:

  • 49 cards representing different caregiver-related data points (e.g., "Hourly Rate", "Years of Experience", "CPR Certified")

  • Predefined categories: Filters, Caregiver Profiles

  • Participants could also create custom categories if needed

Execution:

  • Participants had 10 minutes to sort the cards on a shared Miro board

  • Sorting was done individually and asynchronously

  • Cards could be placed into one or multiple categories (e.g., “both” for filter and profile)

Data Analysis

  • I exported the sorted data to Excel, where I conducted a frequency analysis

  • Each of the 49 items was labeled by participant as:

    • F (Filter)

    • P (Profile)

    • B (Both)

    • O (Other / custom category)

  • I calculated percentage agreements for each item to identify clear trends

  • Items with high "Both" percentages were flagged as ambiguous or dual-purpose, revealing complexity in user perception

Findings

Top Profile Attributes:

  • Education (95%)

  • Years of Experience (89%)

  • Reviews (89%)

  • Availability (74%)

  • Hourly Rate (68%)

  • Non-smoker, Bilingual, Comfortable with Pets (~58%)

Top Filter Attributes:

  • Gender (63%)

  • Location (63%)

  • Age Group (58%)

  • In-home Care (58%)

  • Registered Nurse (53%)

Recommendations

  • Limit filters to 5 key categories for clarity and ease of use

  • Include deeper caregiver details in profiles to support comparison and decision-making

  • Use a “More Info” or “Advanced Skills” tab for less frequently selected attributes

What I Gained

This project sharpened my skills in:

  • Designing user-centered research with clear business value

  • Conducting and analyzing card sorting studies

  • Translating raw data into actionable UX recommendations

  • Balancing user mental models with platform constraints

  • Tools: Miro, Excel, and qualitative synthesis

Next

Design Options for Differing Goals: A Charity Website