Affinity diagram
Writing each research observation on a note and grouping the notes by affinity, bottom-up, until the themes that connect them emerge.
What it’s for
It helps you organize lots of scattered, varied data without imposing categories on it in advance.
Key elements
One idea per note
Short, concrete and true to what was observed.
Bottom-up
Groups come from the data, not from a prior list.
Name each group
With a sentence that says what they have in common.
How it’s done
Write one observation on each note.
Group the notes that are alike, without prior categories.
Give a title to each group and arrange the groups.
Applications in design
When to use it
Right after fieldwork, as a team and with the notes in view.
Avoid
Starting with categories already decided: that way you only confirm what you believed.
Don’t fall for it
Keep track of where each note comes from so you can go back to the source.
Connections
Authors and works
- 1967
Jiro Kawakita
Created it to organize fieldwork data that was very different from one item to the next.
- 1998
Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblatt
Made it part of their design process to synthesize what was learned during visits.
Sources
Original sources
- Kawakita, J. (1967). Hassōhō [Método para generar ideas]. Chūōkōronsha.
- Beyer, H., & Holtzblatt, K. (1998). Contextual design: Defining customer-centered systems. Morgan Kaufmann.
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