What is Card-Based IA?

Card-Based IA organizes content into discrete, self-contained units (cards) that users can scan, compare, and interact with independently. Each card contains a preview or complete piece of content. Think Pinterest boards, Trello cards, or product grids. Great for heterogeneous content where items are equal in hierarchy.

When Should You Use This?

Use card-based IA for content discovery (Pinterest, products, articles), dashboards (metrics, widgets), collections (team members, projects), or when content has similar importance but different types. Perfect for responsive design—cards reflow naturally on mobile. Avoid when content has strict hierarchy or sequential flow (use hierarchical or sequential IA instead).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• •Too much content per card—cards should be scannable; keep text minimal
• •Inconsistent card sizes—creates visual chaos; use grid system with defined sizes
• •No clear action—every card should have a purpose (click to expand, link to detail page)
• •Poor mobile layout—cards should stack or resize gracefully on small screens
• •No visual hierarchy within cards—use typography/spacing to guide eye (title > subtitle > meta)

Real-World Examples

• •Pinterest—masonry grid of image cards, perfect for visual discovery
• •Trello—kanban cards for tasks, each card is self-contained
• •Airbnb—property cards with image, price, rating, location
• •Linear—issue cards in list/board view with status, assignee, labels