Graphic Design 2.1: Professional Practice, Project 8: ‘Branching Out’ Research points
Reflection Task 1: Affinity Diagram
An Affinity Diagram is a tool used to organise ideas, opinions, and issues into groupings or themes based on their natural relationships.The Affinity process is used in many fields, from marketing to UX, it is a recognised process in business settings and works well with teams of people to align team members. It can also be used independently to group together ideas generated by Brainstorming. The process starts with a problem statement. For this exercise you will start to identify:
What past experiences and skills will contribute to my future design practice?
The basic steps (adapted from the The Memory Jogger Plus) to create an Affinity Diagram are:
Generate ideas. This is the brainstorming process, it involves generating as many ideas as possible. In this case consider things that you have learned and skills you acquired which may both help and hinder your future design practice.
Display ideas. Use post-it notes on a large surface or a virtual white board to write down your ideas. You should be able to move each idea around independently.
Sort ideas into groups. Try to find similarities among the ideas, move the post-it notes or text boxes into groups.
Create headers. Look at each group and identify a word or phrase that captures the essential link or common theme among the ideas contained in a group. Write it down.
Draw your finished diagram. The final version of the diagram should clearly identify the themes or headers and include the problem statement.
Once you have completed your Affinity Diagram, reflect on the themes you have identified.
Where you might need to further develop your skills?
Did any of the ideas or themes surprise you?
How might you share the skills you identified with a potential employer or client? Would you be able to demonstrate in a CV or portfolio the skills and experiences you bring to a design project?
The Affinity process is a good way to encourage new patterns of thinking independently and with a team. What other problems might you be able to tackle with affinity diagrams?
I moved onto noting my ideas digitally, choosing key words/phrases. I then moved them into areas that were similar, eventually deciding on 3 titles separating my skills into practical, technical and personal. I then added a 4th section, which were areas that specifically need more development.
I began this task by brainstorming skills related to experiences and any personal qualities I had developed which would contribute to my future with the design space.
Considering my current job role- running a small business, I noted areas related to that which coincide with my design future, such as E-commerce knowledge, advertising and adapting.
I arranged the skills into lists ranking the areas I felt most confident in at the top with the areas I felt least confident in at the bottom. I reflected this with a strong colour getting weaker.
Where you might need to further develop your skills?
I definitely have less experience in working with people/as a part of a team. My day to day work is solely done by myself, involving mainly digital interactions with customers. A huge part of design, especially when working for someone, would be interacting and responding to ideas/feedback- this is a key area I need to develop.
Did any of the ideas or themes surprise you?
I was aware of my weaknesses, especially when considering teamwork/client communication, but to have it written in front of me visually allows me to consider it further and work towards improving on these areas.
How might you share the skills you identified with a potential employer or client? Would you be able to demonstrate in a CV or portfolio the skills and experiences you bring to a design project?
I hope that I could share these skills with a potential employer through a CV, noting areas of work etc. For an employer, but in particular a client, a clear portfolio demonstrating specific design skills would be the most important area of skills to show. Interacting with the client in-person, or remotely via video call would also allow me to put myself forward in the best way possible and confirm the clients confidence in choosing myself for a design job/role.
What other problems might you be able to tackle with affinity diagrams?
Affinity diagrams could be used specifically within a design context when working for a client on any project. Specifically it would be great for any projects that involve customer interaction with the content, for example website design. Here it could be used to solve UX/UI problems and to categorise feedback, or even the structure of the site. This could also work well for general marketing or advertising funnels, when considering how a customer will react with certain changes to adverts or word choices.
Generally, affinity diagrams could be used to solve any problems within a business, within someone’s life, resolving interpersonal problems or work issues. By grouping certain areas or ideas together it makes it easier to visualise patterns and therefore view solutions.
An affinity diagram is a great way to expand on a brainstorm/word list, the grouping helps ideas form and this idea is a step I will add onto my workflow when brainstorming.
