How to Use ClickUp for Card Sorting Research

Card sorting is a simple UX research method that becomes far more powerful when you manage it in ClickUp. This guide walks you through building, tracking, and analyzing card sorting projects inside ClickUp so your team can organize information, collaborate, and turn findings into clear action items.

The instructions below are based on the process and examples from the original card sorting tools guide on ClickUp's blog about card sorting, adapted into a practical how-to article.

What Is Card Sorting and Why Use ClickUp?

Card sorting helps you understand how users naturally group information. Participants organize “cards” (topics, features, or content) into categories that make sense to them. You can then use the results to improve site navigation, app menus, and information architecture.

Using ClickUp as your management hub for this work lets you:

• Plan card sorting sessions and assign owners
• Store links to your favorite card sorting tools
• Track participants and sessions
• Capture findings in a consistent structure
• Prioritize and assign follow-up UX improvements

Set Up a ClickUp Space for Card Sorting

Start by creating a dedicated Space so all card sorting work stays organized and accessible.

Create a ClickUp Space for UX Research

1. In your workspace, create a new Space named something like UX Research or Information Architecture.

2. Set permissions so designers, researchers, product managers, and key stakeholders can access it.

3. Add default ClickUp views you often use, such as List, Board, Calendar, and Docs.

This Space will hold all card sorting projects, as well as related usability studies, interviews, or surveys.

Add a Folder for Card Sorting Projects

1. Within the Space, create a Folder named Card Sorting.

2. Use this Folder to group all card sorting initiatives for different products, features, or site sections.

3. Optionally color-code the Folder so it stands out from other UX research work.

Build a ClickUp List to Manage a Study

Each card sorting study can be handled as a separate List in ClickUp. This gives you a single place to track goals, sessions, and outcomes.

Create a New ClickUp List for One Study

1. Inside the Card Sorting Folder, create a new List named after the project. For example: Website Navigation Card Sort.

2. Add a short description that explains the purpose of the study and the target user group.

3. Invite collaborators who will moderate sessions, analyze data, or turn results into design updates.

Define Custom Fields in ClickUp

Custom Fields help you capture consistent data across tasks in the List. For card sorting work, consider the following fields:

• Study Type (Dropdown: Open, Closed, Hybrid)
• Tool Used (Dropdown: OptimalSort, UXtweak, Maze, etc.)
• Participant Segment (e.g., New Users, Power Users, Internal Stakeholders)
• Session Date (Date)
• Session Status (Dropdown: Planned, Scheduled, Completed, Analyzed)

To add these, open your List in ClickUp, add Custom Fields from the toolbar, and apply them to all tasks in the List.

Plan Your Card Sorting Sessions in ClickUp

Next, use ClickUp tasks to plan and schedule the actual card sorting sessions.

Create Tasks for Study Setup

Before you involve participants, set up the research structure with a few key tasks:

• Define Research Goals
  Describe what you want to learn (e.g., whether users understand your category labels).
• Design Card Set
  List the topics, pages, or features you want participants to sort.
• Select Card Sorting Tool
  Choose one or more tools based on your needs (open vs. closed sorting, remote vs. in-person).
• Create Participant Screener
  Outline who you want to recruit and how you will qualify them.

Assign each task to the appropriate team member, add due dates, and attach reference files or links.

Use ClickUp Tasks to Track Sessions

Once the structure is in place, create one task for each participant session or session group.

1. In your List, click New Task and name it with the participant ID or session label.

2. Set the Session Date Custom Field and assign the task to the moderator.

3. Use the Session Status Custom Field to move the session from Planned to Completed and eventually Analyzed.

4. Add the link to the card sorting activity in the task description or a dedicated Custom Field.

You can switch to the Calendar view in ClickUp to see how sessions are distributed over time and avoid conflicts.

Capture Card Sorting Findings in ClickUp

After each session or batch of sessions, store your insights directly in ClickUp so they are searchable and shareable.

Use ClickUp Docs to Summarize Results

1. Create a new Doc within your List or Space and name it after the study.

2. Add sections such as Goals, Method, Key Findings, Patterns, and Recommendations.

3. Paste screenshots or upload exports from your card sorting tools to support your analysis.

4. Link relevant tasks into the Doc so readers can jump to specific sessions or follow-up items.

Because Docs live inside ClickUp, your whole team can comment in context, ask questions, or suggest changes right where the findings are documented.

Store Patterns as Tasks in ClickUp

To turn insight into action, log the key patterns and issues as separate tasks:

• New navigation groups users consistently created
• Labels that confused most participants
• Content items that appeared in multiple groups
• Gaps where users expected content but did not find it

For each pattern task:

1. Describe the pattern and how often it appeared.

2. Attach data or screenshots from your card sorting tool.

3. Tag relevant stakeholders (design, product, engineering) in comments.

4. Apply priorities and due dates to keep improvements moving.

Turn Insights into Action with ClickUp

The real value of card sorting comes from applying what you learn. ClickUp makes it easy to manage the follow-through.

Create an Implementation Board in ClickUp

Set up a Board view that organizes tasks by implementation stage, for example:

• Backlog
• In Design
• In Development
• Ready for QA
• Released

Drag and drop card sorting–related tasks across columns so everyone can see progress from research to release.

Automate Reminders and Hand-offs

Use basic ClickUp automations to keep the workflow moving. For instance:

• When a card sorting pattern task is marked Ready for Design, automatically assign it to the design lead.
• When a design task is completed, create a linked development task with the required specs in the description.
• Notify the original researcher when a change informed by card sorting goes live.

Optimize Your UX Process with ClickUp

By centralizing planning, execution, analysis, and implementation, ClickUp becomes the operational backbone of your card sorting research. You keep all context in one platform, reduce miscommunication, and give stakeholders clear visibility into how user insights shape your information architecture.

If you want expert help building repeatable workflows, tools like Consultevo can support your broader process design while you continue running your UX work in ClickUp.

To see the original overview of card sorting tools and concepts this workflow is based on, review the full guide on ClickUp's blog, then adapt the steps above to match your team, products, and research style.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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