Design tips

Naming themes that drive decisions

A short note to deepen Lesson 3: Synthesize data using affinity diagrams.

Abayomi Ogundipe

Abayomi Ogundipe

2 min read
Naming themes that drive decisions

A good theme name is short, clear, and actionable. A weak theme name is academic or vague. The difference matters because your team will make decisions based on those labels.

I use this approach in my own project design work, and it helps teams stay aligned as the project evolves.

Here is a quick test.

Weak theme names

  • Lack of capacity
  • Limited resources
  • Systemic barriers

These are not wrong, but they are too broad. They do not tell you what to do next.

Stronger theme names

  • Training is scheduled when staff are off duty
  • Data is collected but never shared back
  • Community trust drops after short term pilots

These are specific and point to a design move.

Use a simple naming formula: Cause + Context + Effect. Example: "Delayed approvals due to unclear ownership." This tells the team where to focus.

Try this: rewrite three theme names using a verb. Then test them with a colleague. If the colleague can suggest a design action in one sentence, the label is working.

In Lesson 3 🎥, I walk through this inside the Setup toolkit. Watch the lesson video to learn more.

If you are stuck, pull a direct quote and turn it into a theme. Participant language keeps you close to the real story. Then add a short decision line: "So we will..." If the decision line is vague, your theme name is too broad. Tighten it until the action is clear.

A useful test is to read the theme names aloud. If they sound like a headline, they are probably clear enough.

Diagram

Naming Themes That Drive Decisions

graph TB Cluster["🗂️ CLUSTER OF NOTES

Ready to be named"] Test{"Does the name
tell you what
to do next?"} subgraph Weak["❌ WEAK THEME NAMES"] W1["Lack of capacity"] W2["Limited resources"] W3["Systemic barriers"] end WeakNote["⚠️ These are too broad
They don't point to action"] subgraph Strong["✅ STRONGER THEME NAMES"] S1["Training is scheduled
when staff are off duty"] S2["Data is collected but
never shared back"] S3["Community trust drops
after short-term pilots"] end StrongNote["These are specific and
point to a design move"] Formula["📝 NAMING FORMULA

Cause + Context + Effect

Example:
'Delayed approvals due to
unclear ownership'"] VerbTest["🔄 VERB TEST

Rewrite 3 theme names
using a verb

Test with a colleague:
Can they suggest a design
action in one sentence?

If yes → label is working"] QuoteMethod["💬 IF STUCK

Pull a direct quote
and turn it into a theme

Participant language keeps
you close to real story"] DecisionLine["🎯 ADD DECISION LINE

'So we will...'

If vague → theme too broad
Tighten until action is clear"] HeadlineTest["✅ FINAL CHECK

Read theme names aloud

If they sound like a headline,
they are probably clear enough"] Cluster --> Test Test -->|No| Weak Weak --> WeakNote WeakNote --> Formula Test -->|Yes| Strong Strong --> StrongNote StrongNote --> VerbTest Formula --> VerbTest VerbTest --> QuoteMethod QuoteMethod --> DecisionLine DecisionLine --> HeadlineTest style Cluster fill:#F6F6F6,stroke:#737373,color:#2A2A2A style Test fill:#F8CC1B,stroke:#CA8A04,color:#2A2A2A style Weak fill:#FEE2E2,stroke:#E12729,color:#2A2A2A style W1 fill:#FCA5A5,stroke:#E12729,color:#2A2A2A style W2 fill:#FCA5A5,stroke:#E12729,color:#2A2A2A style W3 fill:#FCA5A5,stroke:#E12729,color:#2A2A2A style WeakNote fill:#FCA5A5,stroke:#E12729,color:#2A2A2A style Strong fill:#D9F99D,stroke:#72B043,color:#2A2A2A style S1 fill:#BBF7D0,stroke:#72B043,color:#2A2A2A style S2 fill:#BBF7D0,stroke:#72B043,color:#2A2A2A style S3 fill:#BBF7D0,stroke:#72B043,color:#2A2A2A style StrongNote fill:#BBF7D0,stroke:#72B043,color:#2A2A2A style Formula fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F8CC1B,color:#2A2A2A style VerbTest fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F8CC1B,color:#2A2A2A style QuoteMethod fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F8CC1B,color:#2A2A2A style DecisionLine fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F8CC1B,color:#2A2A2A style HeadlineTest fill:#007F4E,stroke:#00b369,color:#fff,stroke-width:3px