The Great Sock Sort

Free instructions and downloadable materials

This activity is offered free of charge for your use in educational settings or World Usability Day events.

On this page: Activity Summary | Learning Goals | Preparation | Setup | Moderating

Activity Summary

Description:

A number (15 or 20) of pairs of socks are split into two identical sets. Two teams of people each sort the socks by similarity, into any number of categories that make sense to them. Then they name the categories. At the end of the exercise, compare the results. Do people sort and label the same way? During the day you can compare all the categories people create.

Activity type:

Table-based activity

Good for:

Individuals or groups of all ages

Requires:

Space

Minimum activity time:

5 minutes

Docents/Moderators:

One or two

Equipment:

15 - 25 pairs of socks, in different sizes, colors, genders, styles, weights, etc.
Two containers (buckets, bowls, or baskets) to put the socks in
Space for putting socks into groups. (We're trying 2' x 4' wood panels, criss-crossed with the sticky side of velcro)
A table approximately six feet long to lean the boards against (can be used as sorting space if needed)
20 - 30 dry-erase foam rectangles, about 5" x 8", and dry-erase markers, with fuzzy sides of velcro on the back (for labeling categories)
Camera for recording results (optional)

Signage:

Download the Activity Signage (489K PDF)

Learning goals

See that different people organize things in different ways and label things in different ways. Understand that organizing things for other people requires understanding how they organize, and not require them to figure out how you organize. See how usability professionals conduct sorting exercises to find out how other people organize things.

Activity Preparation

Collect pairs of socks in different sizes, colors, styles, weights, etc. Smaller socks work better for display.
Prepare a place to sort the socks. We are trying two 2' x 4' lightweight wood panels, covered with bright contact paper and criss-crossed with 3/4" self-stick velcro strips (sticky side only), about 4" apart.
Glue some of the fuzzy side of the velcro onto dry-erase rectangles, about 5" x 8", for labels.

Activity Setup

Separate the pairs of socks, into two different buckets or baskets.
Lean the sorting boards against the 6-foot table.

Activity Moderation

Group participation

When at least two people approach the table, divide into teams.
Move the sorting boards to the ends of the table.
Invite each team to sort the socks by similarity. Give them as little instruction as possible. Explain that there is no wrong answer.
Watch them sort, and listen to any negotiation within teams. When socks are grouped, have the teams name the groups, writing the group names on the dry-erase boards.
After both teams have sorted and labeled their socks, move the sorting boards to the front of the table. Discuss how similar or different the groups are. Discuss alternate ways they may have considered organizing. If there is time, have them try these different organizations.
Ask what they would do if they had to organize things so that the other team could find them.
Explain that lots of things can be organized in a number of ways, and that people organizing for others (people who build web sites or design grocery stores, for example) run activities like this one to find out the ways that other people organize things, so they can make them easier to find.