Understand
Affinity mapping
Also called Affinity diagram, KJ method, Clustering
Group a pile of notes into themes by moving similar ones together, then name each theme to see what the pile is telling you.
- Time30 to 60 minutes
- People2 to 10 people
- Steps4
What it's for
Use it whenever you have more notes than anyone can hold in their head: research findings, brainstorm ideas, survey comments. Groups emerge from the notes rather than from categories decided in advance, which is how surprises surface.
Name a group only after it forms. Naming first turns it into sorting into boxes you already had.
How to run it
Put the notes up10 min
One idea or finding per note, all in the raw notes area.
Cluster in silence15 min
Everyone moves notes that belong together into the group frames. Anyone can move any note.
Name the groups8 min
Give each group a title that says what it means, not just a topic.
Vote on what matters5 min3 votes each
Vote on the groups that matter most for the decision ahead.
Tips
- Silence during clustering stops arguments about where a note goes. Duplicate a note that fits two places.
- A group title like "Pricing" says little. "People can't tell what they'll pay" says what to do.
Where it comes from
Developed by the Japanese anthropologist Jiro Kawakita in the 1960s, which is why it is also called the KJ method.
Pairs well with
Dot voting
Everyone gets a few votes to place on the options they prefer, which shows where the group leans in a couple of minutes.
Empathy map
A shared picture of one type of person: what they say, think, do and feel, built from research rather than guesses.
How might we
Turn problems and insights into questions that start with "How might we", which invite ideas instead of arguments.