Synthesize

Affinity mapping

Group observations from several sources into themes.

How to do it

1. Pull every tagged observation onto a note.
2. Group notes that feel related; do not name groups yet.
3. Name each group by what people experience.
4. Rank groups by how often and how strongly they appear.

Tip. You need at least two sources. Themes that come from a single interview are anecdotes.

What you need

Start from:

• At least 2 Interview notes

It is better with: Survey results.

What you get: Affinity map

An affinity map template has these sections:

• Themes

Where it fits

• Define (Double Diamond): Agree the one problem worth solving, and for whom.

Usually comes after

• Run an interview

What to do next

• Synthesize insights
• Build a persona
• Write jobs to be done
• Write a readout
• Build a survey
• Check what new evidence changes

Templates that use it

• Exploratory study: We don’t know the problem well yet: why do people do what they do?
• Double Diamond: A whole project, from understanding a problem to a tested answer.
• Design Thinking: Empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test, in the classic five modes.