Affinity Diagram
Meaningfully cluster observations and insights from research.
Affinity diagramming, or affinity mapping, is a method used to organize and sort large volumes of data by clustering similar items together based on their natural relationships. The process involves taking notes or data points and grouping them into categories that reflect common themes or patterns. This helps in identifying key insights and connections that might not be immediately obvious. The technique is particularly useful in scenarios where there's a lot of qualitative information to sift through, such as during brainstorming sessions or user research. By visually sorting the data, teams can more easily see relationships and trends, which aids in analysis and decision-making.
Step 1
Gather Your Data and Write It Down: This could be user feedback, survey responses, interview notes, or any other qualitative data. Take each piece of information or insight and write it on a separate sticky note or card. Keep each note concise, capturing just the key point.
Step 2
Set Up Your Workspace: Find a large, open space where you can spread out your sticky notes or cards. A whiteboard, large table, or wall works great. If you're doing it online, you could use Miro or FigJam.
Step 3
Start Grouping Similar Ideas: Begin to move the notes around, grouping similar ideas together. Don’t worry too much about perfect categories at this stage—just look for things that naturally seem to fit together.
Step 4
Label the Groups: Once you have a few groups forming, give each group a label that captures the essence of the ideas within it. These labels can be broad at first and refined later.
Step 5
Refine and Organize: Go through each group and see if any notes need to be moved around. Some groups might need to be split into smaller sub-groups, or you might find that some groups can be combined.
Step 6
Turn groups of data into insights, and use these insights to inform your design decisions.
This UX case study from Alina Stepanova, used affinity diagrams to organize key feedback and issues from user interviews.
