Learn more about creating affinity

diagrams
Ready to do a fun activity that will help you organize the data from your usability study? As you
learned in the video, an affinity diagram is a method of synthesizing that organizes data into
groups with common themes or relationships. You can do this activity by yourself, but in the real
world affinity diagramming is often done as a team so you can organize research data quickly and
efficiently. Let’s go through the process step-by-step!

Find a place to create your affinity diagram

You’ll need a large space to put all of your sticky notes. A room with a large whiteboard, window,
empty wall, or any other smooth surface with room to place sticky notes is best.

Create sticky notes

To make an affinity diagram, all of the observations from your research study participants need to be
transferred onto individual sticky notes. Sticky notes can be generated in a few different ways:

 If you used spreadsheet note taking or took notes on a single piece of paper during the
usability study, you'll need to transfer all of the observations and quotes from the participants
onto sticky notes.
 If you or the study moderator took notes on sticky notes during the usability study, you can
skip this step or make revisions to the sticky notes you’ve already written.
Each sticky note lists a single idea, observation, or direct quote from a participant — so you’re going
to have a lot of sticky notes! The information on each sticky note should be no longer than one
sentence, and the sentence should make sense without explanation so that it’s easy for everyone to
understand quickly. For example, the phrase “hard to read” would not make a good sticky note,
because it's too vague. But the phrase “hard to read text on homepage” gives your team enough
context to understand what the note is about.

If you're quoting a participant directly, use quotation marks on your sticky note. Quotation marks
demonstrate that you're including the exact word or phrase the participant used. If you're
summarizing an idea or opinion a participant had, you don't need quotation marks; simply write a
brief sentence or phrase describing their feedback.

All participant responses sorted as affinity diagram cards for the dog walker app
For example, imagine you conducted a usability study to understand how to improve the dog walker
app. Here are some observations and quotes that were collected during the research.

 Frustrated that there's no confirmation page

 Couldn't complete Prompt 4 because "Address" wasn't visible anywhere
 Wants to book a dog walker every Saturday
 Confused about what to press on the home screen
 Chooses dog walker based on proximity
 Expected an add to cart button
 "I was just clicking on different buttons to try and figure it out?"
 Annoyed that there wasn't a confirmation page before booking
You would put each one of these observations and quotes on its own sticky note. After you’ve
written all of your sticky notes, spread them out so you can clearly read all of the sticky notes at
once, like the graphic above demonstrates.

Put sticky notes in groups

All participant responses sorted into groups on an affinity diagram cards for the dog walker app
With all of your sticky notes ready to go, it’s time to cluster the observations and quotes into groups.
You can either list a couple of groups to get started, or you can come up with group names as you
go.

For example, there might be a group that you know there’s feedback about, like “Scheduling." If this
is the case, you can create this group from the start. As you review the sticky notes, add them to this
group. For example, sticky notes that say "Wants to book multiple dog walker sessions" and “Wants
a calendar to schedule date and time for the dog walker” would belong in the "Scheduling" group.

Or, as you review the sticky notes, you might notice that two of notes are related, like: "Wants to filter
dog-walkers by experience" and “Confused about how to select a dog walker from the list” In this
case, you’d create a new group called “Dog walker selection.” It’s part of the process to come up
with groups as you go.

Continue until there are no sticky notes remaining

Try to categorize as many of your sticky notes as possible, which will ensure that all feedback from
participants is represented in distinct groups. Ideally, you should end up with three to ten groups. In
the dog walker app example, the affinity diagram has three groups: "Scheduling," "Dog Walker
Selection," and "Booking + Checkout."

If there are a few sticky notes that don’t belong in any of the groups you made, that’s normal;
sometimes only one person in your study had a problem with a feature or experience. But you
should strongly consider the observation or quote, and determine if it should stand alone in its own
group or receive further consideration before disregarding it entirely.

Do a second review
The beauty of affinity diagramming is that there are no “right” answers. You can make as many or as
few groups as your observations require. Take some time to review your groupings and determine if
you want to move any sticky notes around, or even make a new group. Have fun with your data and
the connections you can draw from it. You might end up with a really unique group that you didn’t
notice at first!

Here’s a pro tip: If you have a lot of sticky notes within a group, you should consider creating sub-
groups to further organize the data. It's almost like doing the affinity diagramming exercise all over
again, but with a subset of the sticky notes.

Create your own affinity diagram

When you have a lot of research data to sort through, it can be overwhelming to hunt for patterns
and make a plan for iterating on your product. Creating an affinity diagram helps you group together
research insights so that you can further understand and define the problems in your product and
design.

In addition, affinity diagramming helps you think outside of the box. The interactive and visual format
of affinity mapping allows you to make connections within your data that you may not have noticed
by simply reading through your notes. This helps you think of new, creative ways to solve user
problems.

Now it's your turn to sort through research data, and have some fun while you’re at it. Remember,
there’s no right or wrong way to group data in your affinity diagram. Play with your sticky notes and
come up with unique groupings. It’ll be worth the effort!

If you want to learn even more about affinity diagramming, check out this article from Nielsen
Norman Group that highlights some best practices for affinity diagramming.

Activity Exemplar: Create an affinity

diagram for the Gmail labels feature
project
Here is a completed exemplar and an explanation of how the exemplar fulfills the previous activity’s
expectations.
Useful? E: Sees uses for labels B: Sees uses for labels C: Sees uses for labels D: Doesn’t see uses
for labels A: Doesn’t see uses for labels Getting Started A: Feels frustrated getting started B:
Confused how to get started A: Confused how to get started E: Confused how to get started A: Has
a hard time knowing what to do to create a label B: Has a hard time knowing what to do to create a
label E: Has a hard time knowing what to do to create a label In black box: C: Knows how to get
started D: Knows how to get started Tone B: Speaks in a confident tone C: Speaks in a positive tone
E: Speaks in a positive tone B: Speaks in a positive tone A: Speaks in a frustrated tone D: Speaks in
an indifferent tone A: Speaks in an annoyed or impatient tone Confusion In the Green border box: D:
Confused by the word "nest" when adding sublabel A: Confused by the word "nest" when adding
sublabel E: Confused by the word "nest" when adding sublabel In the Orange border box: B: Has
trouble changing the color of the "Shopping label" E: Has trouble changing the color of the
"Shopping label" A: Has trouble changing the color of the "Shopping label" In the Red border box: B:
Has trouble finding the 3 dots for the sub-menu E: Has trouble finding the 3 dots for the sub-menu A:
Has trouble finding the 3 dots for the sub-menu C: Has trouble finding the 3 dots for the sub-menu

Note that this completed example:

 Sorts notes by similarity

 Displays groups and sub-groups
This example is just one way to complete this activity. Your version may have the post-it notes in
different groups, or grouped in different themes. What's important is that the themes you discovered
are similar to those in this exemplar.

Compare the exemplar above to your completed deliverable. Assess what you have done using
each of the criteria used here to evaluate the exemplar.
What did you do well? Where can you improve? Take this feedback with you as you continue to
progress through the course.

Activity Exemplar: Identify patterns and

themes for the Gmail labels feature
project
Here is a completed exemplar for the previous course item. Note that each pattern is supported by
evidence from the research and then attached to a theme.

To see the completed exemplar for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to exemplar: Gmail Labels Pattern Identification

OR

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the exemplar directly from the attachment
below.

Google UX Design Certificate - Pattern Identification - Gmail Labels [Example]

DOCX File
These patterns are pulled directly from the affinity map. This was a quick and easy process because
the data was organized from the outset! Note that the themes that were identified based on patterns
aren't complex. Instead, they are the original ideas that were expressed by participants and are now
grouped together by similarity.

Now compare the exemplar above to your completed deliverable. Assess what you have done using
each of the criteria used here to evaluate the exemplar.

What did you do well? Where can you improve? Are there any roadblocks? Take this feedback with
you as you continue to progress through the course.

Activity Exemplar: Form insights from

data for the Gmail labels feature project
Here is a completed exemplar. Note that the insights are actionable and based on the data gathered
in earlier research.
To see the completed exemplar for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to exemplar: Insight Identification - Gmail Labels

OR

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the exemplar directly from the attachment
below.

Google UX Design Certificate - Insight Identification - Gmail Labels - Exemplar

DOCX File
These insights are based on themes from the previous synthesis activity. Those themes were based
on the groupings made in the affinity diagram, which originally came from the note-taking
spreadsheet. You can follow the direct lineage of these insights back to the observations made
during testing.

Now compare the exemplar above to your completed deliverable. Assess what you have done using
each of the criteria used here to evaluate the exemplar. What did you do well? Where can you
improve? Take this feedback with you as you continue to progress through the course.

Glossary
We’ve covered a lot of terms and definitions in this part of the course. Some of the terms might have
been new, or some of them you may have already known. To make it easy to remind yourself what a
word means, we created a glossary of terms and definitions that builds during each week of the
course. Check it out below!

To view the glossary for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to glossary: Course 4 Week 3 - Glossary

OR

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the glossary directly from the attachment
below.

Course 4 Week 3 - Glossary of terms and definitions

DOCX File

Note: The glossary builds throughout the course. In other words, this glossary includes terms from
Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 of this course.

Peer-graded Assignment: Weekly challenge 3:

Turn observations into insights for your
portfolio project
1. Instructions
2. My submission
3. Discussions
In this assignment, you'll identify themes and develop actionable insights based on the
observations you made during the usability study you conducted for your portfolio project. These
insights will be critical as you refine your designs.

You will also give and receive feedback from two peers. Giving feedback on others’ insights and
receiving feedback on your insights provides an accurate representation of the feedback cycle
that happens in the real world, with a design team, clients, and stakeholders.
Grading Criteria Overview
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Your completed insight identification template will be assessed out of six points using the
following criteria:

 2 points: Created an affinity diagram based on findings

 2 points: Categorized those findings into themes
 2 points: Generated at least three actionable insights based on themes
Step-By-Step Assignment Instructions
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Step 1: Open up a digital note-taking app
As you learned in previous self-review exercises, you have many options to choose from
regarding affinity diagramming. As a refresher, you can use:

 Miro (https://miro.com/)
 Notely (http://note.ly/#)
 Mural (https://www.mural.co/)
 Padlet ( https://padlet.com/)
 Jamboard (https://jamboard.google.com/)
All of these offer similar functionality and are excellent tools for this process. If you’re feeling
adventurous, try a new tool for this round.

Step 2: Add your notes to the affinity diagram

At this point, you should have a thorough and organized spreadsheet full of notes and
observations from the testing you did on your portfolio project in Weekly challenge 2: Conduct a
usability study for your portfolio project. Start adding those observations to your digital sticky
notes. Remember to:

 Differentiate between different participants

 Put one observation on each note
 Keep the content of a note brief

Step 3: Sort by similarity

As in your previous affinity diagram that you put together in the activity Create an affinity
diagram, you can begin to move your notes around. There is no specific method to follow in this
process, but at its most basic level, you are searching for similarities. It is helpful to:

Label large groups

Search for smaller sets in larger groups
Take a break if you feel stuck
When you're done with your affinity diagram, take a screenshot and save it as a PDF.

Step 4: Identify themes

Begin identifying themes in the groupings you made for your affinity map in Step 3. As you
identify themes, remember to:

Keep your themes simple, direct, and easy to understand.

Limit themes to just one idea.
Remove opinions from the process and ensure that your themes are based on objective
observations you made.
Once you've identified your themes, add them to the template below.

To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to template: pattern identification template.

OR

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the template directly from the attachment
below.

Google UX Design Certificate - Pattern Identification [Template]

DOCX File

Step 5: Expand at least three themes into insights

Review your themes to determine actionable insights based on that information. As a reminder,
strong insights:

 Are grounded in real data

 Answer the research questions
 Are easy to understand
 Increase empathy for the user experience
 Inspire direct action
You can make a direct connection between the themes you observe and the actions you'll take
using the insight identification template. To do this, add at least three actionable insights to the
sentences containing the themes you identified in Step 4.

To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to template: insight identification template.

OR

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the template directly from the attachment
below.

Google UX Design Certificate - Insight Identification [Template]

DOCX File

After completing Steps 4 and 5, click on the blue “Share” button in the upper-right corner of
your template and change the sharing settings to give other learners access to view the
assignment. Then, in the space below the sharing settings where it says "Get link", click the
button that says "Copy link". The link will be copied to your device and can be shared by
pressing "Paste" or using the keyboard shortcut for pasting a copied item. You’ll share this link
with fellow learners after you’re done with the assignment. After submitting your assignment,
make sure to give feedback to at least two peers

You now have actionable insights for your portfolio project that will help you refine and focus
your product!
Add to Your Case Study
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After you receive feedback from peers and make revisions to your designs based on identified
insights, you’re ready to add information about the usability study you conducted to your
portfolio case study slide deck!

If you need access to the template for the case study slide deck introduced at the beginning of
Course 2, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to template: Case study slide deck template.

OR

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the template directly from the attachment
below.
Google UX Design Certificate - Case study slide deck [Template]
PPTX File

Start by filling out slide #15 with the most important findings your first usability study revealed.
Write these findings in the "Round 1 findings" box. You'll fill in the rest of this slide when you
conduct your second usability study in the next course.

Here's an example of this slide for Zia’s Pizza: