Digital.gov Guide

Aligning around design goals

Practical strategies for teams to collaborate effectively and align around design goals.
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Align your goals and objectives to inform your design decisions

Methods to align your goals and objectives to inform your design decisions.

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    Method: Affinity maps

    What

    An affinity map finds themes by collecting ideas, quotes, or observations.

    Why

    Affinity maps help you draw out insights from qualitative data quickly and collaboratively.

    How to do it

    1. Record ideas, quotes, or observations from interviews, contextual inquiry, or other sources of research on paper sticky notes or in an online collaboration tool.
    2. Place the sticky notes on a whiteboard in no particular arrangement. Move the sticky notes into related groups.
    3. Use larger notes (or whiteboard markers, if you're using a whiteboard), to write titles or catch phrases for each group.
    4. Discuss the patterns you see and agree on key insights.

    Time required

    30 minutes to 1 hour

    Engagement