Use affinity diagramming to cluster and organise research findings or to sort design ideas in ideation workshops
Project Stage:
Define
Who:
Customer
Experts
Decision makers
Service Providers
Design Principles:
Affinity Diagramming is a technique used to organise large amounts of data, ideas, or insights into meaningful groups. It helps teams visually cluster related information, revealing patterns and shared themes, making it easier to identify key issues or opportunities.
Use it to
Organise large amounts of information into categories or themes.
Make sense of complex, qualitative data like user feedback or brainstorming sessions.
Identify patterns, relationships, or key areas of focus in your data.
Top Tips
Ensure all participants are familiar with the problem or dataset before clustering.
Use colour coding to differentiate between themes.
Be open to restructuring as you go; affinity diagrams can evolve as new patterns emerge.
How – to
Write down all relevant data points or ideas on sticky notes or cards.
Without much discussion, start grouping related items together.
Once initial clusters form, label each group with a theme or key insight and prioritise.
Review and refine as necessary, discussing the groups and their connections.
Affinity Diagrams
Use affinity diagramming to cluster and organise research findings or to sort design ideas in ideation workshops
Affinity Diagramming is a technique used to organise large amounts of data, ideas, or insights into meaningful groups. It helps teams visually cluster related information, revealing patterns and shared themes, making it easier to identify key issues or opportunities.
Use it to
Top Tips
How – to
Resources
NNG Affinity Diagrams
Related Methods
Ecosystem Maps
Dot Voting
Brainstorming