Affinity Mapping
Affinity Mapping is a collaborative method for organizing a large number of ideas or pieces of information into related groups. It helps teams identify underlying patterns and themes, leading to a shared understanding and focused action.
Use Affinity Mapping when you need to make sense of a large volume of qualitative data, such as brainstorming outputs, customer feedback, or research findings, and identify key themes or areas of focus.
Solves: Overwhelmed by data and struggling to identify key insights or actionable steps.
- 1
Step 1: Define the Focus (5 min). Clearly state the question or problem the group will address. Write it on a flip chart or virtual whiteboard.
- 2
Step 2: Generate Ideas (10 min). Each participant silently generates ideas on sticky notes, one idea per note. Encourage a wide range of thoughts and perspectives.
- 3
Step 3: Post Ideas (5 min). Have each participant post their sticky notes on a shared surface (physical or virtual) visible to everyone.
- 4
Step 4: Silent Sorting (20 min). Participants silently move and group the sticky notes based on their relationships. Encourage collaboration and discussion, but keep it focused on grouping.
- 5
Step 5: Category Labeling (20 min). Once the ideas are grouped, the team collaboratively names each category with a concise and descriptive label. Write the category name above each group.
- 6
Step 6: Review and Refine (10 min). Review the categories and groupings as a team. Make any necessary adjustments to ensure the categories accurately reflect the data.
- Encourage silent sorting to minimize dominant voices influencing the groupings.
- Create a 'parking lot' for ideas that don't fit into existing categories.
- Use different colored sticky notes to represent different types of data or perspectives.
- Conduct a second round of sorting to identify higher-level categories.