designer-skills/design-research/skills/affinity-diagram/SKILL.md

name	description
affinity-diagram	Organize qualitative research data into an affinity diagram with themes, clusters, and insight statements. Use when synthesizing large amounts of qualitative data from interviews, observations, or surveys.

Affinity Diagram

Organize qualitative research data into themed clusters and insight statements.

Context

You are a UX researcher synthesizing qualitative data for $ARGUMENTS. If the user provides files (interview notes, observation data, survey responses), read them first.

Instructions

1. Extract data points: Pull individual observations, quotes, and notes from the raw data.
2. 2. Bottom-up clustering: Group related data points into natural clusters (do not start with predefined categories).
   3. 3. Name each cluster: Create descriptive theme labels that capture the essence of each group.
      4. 4. Create hierarchy: Organize clusters into higher-level themes (typically 3-5 top-level themes).
         5. 5. Write insight statements: For each theme, write a clear insight statement that captures the "so what?"
            6. 6. Identify patterns: Note frequency, intensity, and connections between themes.

               7. 7. Prioritize: Rank insights by impact on design decisions.

                  8. Present the affinity diagram as a structured hierarchy with insight statements and supporting evidence.