Affinity Mapping

Affinity Mapping allows for the grouping of ideas or feedback by categorising them based on affinity. This process encourages the emergence of themes and natural structures, thereby facilitating decision-making and prioritisation of actions. It is particularly useful for analysing qualitative data and structuring discussions around product vision or problem-solving.

Walkthrough

1. 1

   Introduction and Objectives

   5 min

   The facilitator explains the purpose of the exercise: to group similar ideas to identify common themes. They clarify that this exercise is useful for structuring discussions and prioritising actions. Participants are encouraged to focus on active listening and to be open to different perspectives.

   Tip — Use a concrete example to illustrate the purpose of Affinity Mapping, as this helps participants better understand the utility of the exercise.

2. 2

   Idea Collection

   10 min

   Participants individually write down their ideas or feedback on post-its, one idea per post-it. The facilitator encourages quantity over quality at this stage to promote a broad collection of information. Participants can base their ideas on a specific question or topic defined beforehand.

   Tip — Ask participants not to censor their ideas; every thought can be useful for grouping.

3. 3

   Displaying Ideas

   5 min

   Participants come up to stick their post-its on a board or wall, without organising them. The facilitator ensures that everyone has the opportunity to participate and encourages a random distribution to avoid early grouping biases.

   Tip — Ensure that the board or wall is large enough to accommodate all ideas without overlap.

4. 4

   Affinity Grouping

   15 min

   Participants, in silence, begin to group the post-its by similarities or common themes. The facilitator may intervene to clarify groupings if necessary but encourages self-organisation. Participants can move the post-its if a consensus forms around a new grouping.

   Tip — Encourage participants to stand up and move around the board to stimulate interaction and collective thinking.

5. 5

   Naming the Groups

   10 min

   Once the groups are formed, participants discuss to assign a name to each group that reflects the theme or main idea. The facilitator facilitates the discussion to ensure that each group is clearly defined and understood by all.

   Tip — Suggest that participants think of short and impactful titles to aid in the memorisation of themes.

6. 6

   Discussion and Prioritisation

   10 min

   The facilitator guides a discussion on the formed groups to determine which are priorities or require immediate action. Participants may vote or use prioritisation techniques to rank the groups. The goal is to come away with a list of concrete actions.

   Tip — Use stickers or markers to allow participants to vote on the groups they consider most important.

Variants

• Use different coloured post-its to represent different categories of ideas.
• Conduct the exercise online using a collaborative tool like Miro or MURAL.
• Add an individual reflection phase before grouping to allow participants to structure their ideas.