affinity diagram
An affinity diagram is a powerful tool used in UX design to organize large amounts of unstructured data or ideas into meaningful groups.
Categorizing unstructured data and ideas helps a community (1) make sense of complex information and (2) generate insights to guide decision-making.
The affinity diagram creation process involves gathering diverse input, such as:
- user feedback,
- user interviews,
- user observations,
- survey data,
- analytics from website,
- design ideas, or
- development requirements.
The gathered data is then clustered into related elements based on common themes or relationships.
The data is then used to generate a visualization, an artifact that enables us to see patterns intuitively, occasionally uncovering patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.
To create a comprehensive affinity diagram, at least 24 data items comprised of a various categories are necessary.
The categories used for grouping should each be defined.
Each item is visually represented as a sort statement of text (one sentence in length) displayed on a yellow note, symbolic of sticky notes cluttering a wall during the brainstorming of the categorization grouping activity.
The amalgamation of these data forms a robust affinity diagram, aiding in informed decision-making and streamlined development processes.