Information Classification on University Websites: A Two-Country Card Sort Study

Websites are increasingly used as a medium for providing information to university students. The quality of a university website depends on how well the students’ information classification fits with the structure of the information on the website. This paper investigates the information classification of 14 Danish and 14 Pakistani students and compares it with the information classification of their university website. Brainstorming, card sorting, and task exploration activities were used to discover similarities and differences in the participating students’ classification of website information and their ability to navigate the websites. The results of the study indicate group differences in user classification and related task-performance differences. The main implications of the study are that (a) the edit distance appears a useful measure in cross-country HCI research and practice and (b) the comparative approach of thematic and taxonomic analysis can be used to understand classification and website structure.