Learn in the textbookIdea Generation Techniques
DefinitionThe affinity diagram method (親和図法) sorts collected ideas and opinions into groups by how close their content is, revealing the structure of the whole.
ExplanationThis stage of pulling together the finished set of ideas is called convergence (収束). With no categories fixed in advance, you may notice groupings you hadn't anticipated.
AnalogyIt's like sorting loose photos into piles that share a mood, then giving each pile an album name.
Memory hook“Affinity” means a natural liking between two parties, so picture ideas clustering with the ones they get along with.