Methods
Affinity Diagramming
Facts:
Also called: Affinity mapping, affinity process, KJ method (the process of affinity diagramming is derived from the KJ method)
Lifecycle stage: Requirements
Contributors: Nigel Bevan, Karen Shor, Chauncey Wilson. Originally based on the UsabilityNet description
Version: 6/2009
Affinity diagramming is a participatory method where concepts written on cards are sorted into related groups and sub-groups. The original intent of affinity diagramming was to help diagnose complicated problems by organizing qualitative data to reveal themes associated with the problems.
Existing items and new items identified by individuals are written on cards or sticky notes which are sorted into categories as a workshop activity. Affinity diagramming can be used to:
- Analyse findings from field studies
- Identify and group user functions as part of design
- Analyse findings from a usability evaluation
Building an affinity diagram is a way to interpret customer data and:
- Show the range of a problem
- Uncover similarity among problems from multiple customers
- Give boundaries to a problem
- Identify areas for future study
- Basic Description
- How To
Benefits, Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Involves entire test team so they can all "own" the data.
- Builds teamwork.
- Consolidates lots of customer data into meaningful design criteria.
- Identifies customer work practices.
Disadvantages
- Can be time-consuming.
- Can be exhausting.
Cost-Effectiveness
Affinity diagramming is a relatively simple process, but it can take substantial time to break large amounts of text data into "units of information" -- especially if you have data from many sources. Large affinity projects can require from hours to days to complete and the interpretation of the resulting groups of data can require many hours of focused effort.
Appropriate Uses
Affinity diagramming is a simple and cost effective technique for soliciting ideas from a group and obtaining consensus on how information should be structured.
Read More About It
Gaffney, G. (ND). Affinity Diagramming to analyse usability issues.
Provides practical advice on affinity diagramming
Spool, J. (ND). The kj-technique: a group process for establishing priorities.
A case study of the use of the technique.
Authoritative References
Beyer, H. & Holtzblatt, K. (1998). Contextual design: Defining customer-centered systems. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann.
Courage, C. & Baxter K. (2005). Understanding your users. A practical guide to user requirements: Methods, tools, and techniques. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann.
Holtzblatt, K., Wendell, J. B., & Wood, S. (2005). Rapid contextual design: A how-to guide to key techniques for user-centered design. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann.
Kuniavsky, M. (2003). Observing the user experience: A practitioner’s guide to user research. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann.
