Task Type: Sort and Rank
Sort & Rank is a Task Type whereby "cards" are sorted into groups and then ranked within those groups (e.g. most to least desired). This task type is great for use cases where you want to impose categorization to a large list of items, as you can control a number of different factors, such as the number of cards that must be sorted for the task overall and the minimum and maximum number of cards that can be sorted into a given group.
For example, you may need to determine which attributes or concepts are most strongly associated with a set of brands, products, ideas, etc. This can be done with a Sort & Rank Task by defining a series of relevant attributes as cards and then brands (or products, ideas, etc.) as groups. A hierarchy could then be established in order to determine which attributes are most strongly associated with a given brand.
Despite the complexity of this Task type, Recollective automatically adapts the exercise to fit on all screen sizes. You may wish to preview the Task on a mobile device to become familiar with the mobile version.
Card Configuration
You can configure cards one at a time by using the + Add Card button or you can add cards in bulk with the Paste Cards option. A photo or graphic (JPG or PNG only) can be added to each card. Although the images are scaled down to fit, a magnifier allows participants to examine for full size card versions during Task completion.
You can use the arrows / handles on the left of a configured card to drag and reorder them as desired. You also have the options to Randomize presentation of cards, Require that all cards be used and Enforce limit on total number of cards used.
When adding a new Sort and Rank Task, Require that all cards be used will be enabled by default. If you don't want to require that all cards be sorted, this setting can be unchecked, and the Enforce limit on total number of cards used can be checked to create a custom limit on the total number of cards used.
Group Configuration
We recommend a maximum of 15-20 cards per Task for optimal usability, although the software will permit up to 50 cards.
When configuring a group, you can use the Enforce card limits option to set a minimum and maximum number of cards that must be added to that group by a participant. You can also use the Display ranking labels option to create in-group ranking and provide anchor labels (e.g. Most to Least Important).
Similar to the cards, a photo or graphic can be added to each group if desired. You can again use the arrows / handles on the left of a configured group to drag and reorder them as desired. You can also configure groups one by one or paste them in bulk.
Group Commentary
To delve deeper into the participant thought process, you can enable the Group commentary feature to gain further insight into the rationale behind each card grouping.
When configuring the Groups in a Sort and Rank task, you will have the ability to enable Group Commentary on a per-group basis, which will be indicated visually with a commentary icon.
Once enabled, further customization options are made available:
- Customize prompt: If left unchecked, the prompt will be “Group Description” by default
- Response required: If left unchecked, the commentary will be optional
- If checked, researchers can enforce a minimum and/or maximum word count
- This requirement will only apply if at least 1 card is placed in the group
- If checked, researchers can enforce a minimum and/or maximum word count
Once a card is placed in a group with Group Commentary enabled, the text box and prompt will appear. Once submitted, participant’s Group Commentary responses will then be visible from the View Response level. Text included in the Group Commentary field can be excerpted.
For more information on how you can leverage the Sort and Rank Task type within your research, make sure to check out our Spotlight: Sort and Rank Task blog article!