When ABC's Don't Make Things Easy as 123

It used to be that everything was listed in alphabetical order from A to Z by default, no matter the item, the category or degree of importance. It was believed that alphabetical ordering was inherently important in the organization of lists. While alphabetical sorting is, in fact, beneficial to some lists, it mostly should be avoided.

Sorting items in order of A-Z is mainly beneficial for lists of items that users know the name of. Alphabetical ordering allows users to find what they are looking for pretty quickly in this case. An example of this is a list of the 50 U.S. states. It would be easier to browse this list for a specific name if it were in alphabetical order as opposed to, say, grouping the states in order of population.

Essentially, an A-Z order is best for known-item lists. When users know, for certain, what they are looking for, an alphabetized list will surely facilitate their search. If they have to look at several places in the list, it defeats the purpose of alphabetizing.

So, the first thing to consider is whether users will definitely know what their selection is. If you can answer yes to this question, then an A-Z list works, if not, consider another type of list.

More often than not, users don’t know the name of what they are searching for. As discussed, alphabetizing lists of items under these circumstances is useless. Also, when items have an inherent logic that dictates a different sort order, such as abbreviations for measurements from smallest to largest, using an alphabetical listing hides that logic and diminishes usability. Jakob Nielsen explains the effects of inappropriate alphabetizing with a fine example here.

Essentially, the nature of your information usually will determine a structure to use. At times, A-Z listings will be best for your items, but don’t be lazy in designing a better structure. We all know our ABCs and can put items in proper sequence, accordingly, but with ordinal data such as measurements, ordering in increasing sequence makes more sense. Time lines and geographical location may be useful at times, or even degree of importance or frequency of use.

So, the next time you have a list to compile, work a little harder to create a more useful order to improve its usability.