Affinity Diagramming Guide: Best tool for Organizing UX Data & Insights

In the dynamic realm of User Experience (UX), collaboration and organization are key. Whether you’re brainstorming design ideas or analyzing research findings, the challenge often lies in making sense of a plethora of ideas and data points. Enter Affinity Diagramming, a tried-and-true method that’s been aiding businesses in organizing vast sets of ideas into coherent clusters for years.

Affinity Diagrams: The Basic concept

Affinity Diagramming, often known by various names like affinity mapping, collaborative sorting, or even card sorting, is a technique used to categorize related facts or ideas into distinct groups. Originating from the KJ diagramming method, named after its creator Kawakita Jiro, this method has found its niche in the UX world for its collaborative and organized approach.

Why Use Affinity Diagramming in UX?

1. Stakeholder Engagement: Engaging stakeholders in UX workshops can be a daunting task. Affinity diagramming not only educates them about users but also makes them feel involved and responsible for the ideas and research findings.
2. Building Common Ground: With diverse backgrounds and expertise coming together, this method helps in building a common understanding across all parties involved.
3. Organizing Ideas: Whether it’s observations from a research study, design-ideation meetings, or strategizing the UX vision, affinity diagramming provides a structured approach to organize and prioritize ideas.

The Affinity Diagramming Process

Before the Workshop:

• Choose a suitable room.
• Display all notes on a wall in no particular order.
• Consider pre-defined categories to kickstart the sorting process.
• Equip the room with pens, markers, and blank sticky notes.

During the Workshop:

• Sort notes into top-level categories.
• Dive deeper by sorting each top-level category into subcategories.
• Present each category to the group.
• Determine priorities, either through voting or assigning value.
• Capture the results, either through photographs or written summaries.

After the Workshop:

• Assign follow-up tasks.
• Share a written report or video recordings.
• Schedule subsequent design meetings based on the outcomes.

To learn more about the process in detail click here

Timing is Everything

While the process is structured, the timing for each step can vary. Factors influencing the duration include the number of notes, attendees, and their familiarity with the process. However, keeping the meeting between 90 minutes to 2 hours is generally effective.

Variations to the Process

Affinity diagramming is versatile. In ideation workshops, teams might sort ideas immediately after generating them. For research findings, some teams prefer sorting after each test session. The method you choose should align with your team’s goals and preferences.

‘Your time is precious don’t waste it’