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Criterion
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Paper illustration for Option Framing.
Decision Making
Option Framing
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
Stakeholder Mapping
Facilitation
Stakeholder Mapping
Purposedifferent
When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer.In early decisions, alternatives are often still vague, incomplete, or blended together. Option Framing brings every possibility into a comparable form and makes visible which variant actually fits the question.When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable.When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
45–90 min45-120 min1-2 h60–90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-103-84-122-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areasOption Frames, Assumption Notes, Comparable Shortlist, Decision InputsAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision QuestionsStakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes
Tagsno overlap
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
OptionsDecision framingStrategyComparison
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange
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