Affinity Diagrams

ITM 734

Fall 2006

Corritore

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Affinity diagrams

Brings issues and insights about customers/users together Fastest and best way

Affinity wall a communication tool to stimulate design thinking

Work bottom-up Group individual notes, then group these groups,

then these, then these Of course use colored post-its!

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Affinity diagram

Let the data indicate the groupings and the labels for the groups

Use voice of the customer (I do this…) Important to retain individual variation Then walk the diagram and get design

ideas from it

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Affinity diagram

Many ways to build the diagram – purpose is to push your understanding of user and key distinctions

Look at data (note) and think “what is the point really about?”

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Step 1: the notes & the process

Print out the notes Two copies – one Word doc for

reference, one to post Print out copy of user profiles Mix up the notes (so everyone gets

some from variety of users) Stack notes in groups of about 20 Identify moderator

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Step 1: the notes & the process

Everyone gets 20 notes to start Moderator leads teams through

process Get this first set up on the wall in natural

groupings Then do it individually Then label blue in ‘I’ language Then label pink, then green (abstract)

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Step 2: posting notes Start with the team – read a note that is not

a question nor design idea and start a column

Ask if anyone has one that fits in that column – read aloud and post

Add columns as needed Goal – 3-6 notes in each column (don’t want

to lose distinctions) Repeat until all are posted

If add new column, shout it out so others know Try not to start new columns – push to fill 1-2

note columns Big finish – set a deadline – hurry up

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Step 2: posting notes

Rules: Allowed to move notes without

discussion/argument Note can only go in one column Fit in questions and design ideas Have pile of ‘don’t fit’ notes – try later Junk category – eg. demographics Split notes with more than one idea on them

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Step 3: blue notes

Break up into pairs of team members Start labeling longest columns

Goal is columns with 2-6 notes Consider how to break up long columns

Blue notes tell you what matters in the groupings below – characterize user and identify issues important for design Shouldn’t have to read notes below ‘I’

Examples pg. 171 (good) pg. 172 (bad)

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Step 4: temporary greens

Walk the wall and identify initial themes These are starting greens Big steps in the process, communication

strategies, how tools used, etc. Goal: 4-6 green labels in diagram Move blues under their greens Each people pair gets a green

grouping to work with

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Step 5: organizing greens

Each pair restructures Blue labels under their Green to Eliminate redundancies Have Blues that are 2-6 notes long

Write final Blue labels Create Pink categories by grouping like Blues (2-6

per category) Tells you what matters in Blues below it Examples pg. 175

Group Pinks under the Green (5-8) Write final Green label Examples pg. 177 Not ‘I’

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Rolling in new data

Can do this in two passes See missing data, make sure to get Adjust interviews

Add to diagram Adjust, clean up, re-organize as

needed

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Remember …

… your goal is to create new distinctions

If columns/groups too big, burying these distinctions!