This document provides instructions for using the Rose Bud Thorn and Affinity Clustering methods to help groups gain a deeper understanding of issues within large datasets. The Rose Bud Thorn method involves having a group generate ideas about a topic and sort them into roses (positives), buds (potential positives), and thorns (negatives). These ideas are then clustered using Affinity Clustering by grouping similar ideas together. This allows the group to identify themes, successes, opportunities, and challenges to develop a more informed problem statement before generating solutions. The process involves individual ideation, grouping ideas, discussing relationships between groups, and reframing the problem based on this new understanding.

1. Gaining Understanding:
Using the Rose Bud Thorn and Affinity Clustering Methods
Page 1
Rose Bud Thorn (RBT) is a problem framing method to help groups
understand issues involved in a large data set. The group generates
all of the known information about a topic and then clusters and
sorts the issues and ideas into the following categories:
•Roses (Pink sticky notes): Issues and/or ideas that are positives or
successes.
•Buds (Green sticky notes): Issues and/or ideas that have potential
to be more positive than negative
•Thorns (Blue sticky notes): Issues and/or ideas that are negatives
or challenges
Purpose: The purpose of this activity is for a group to collaboratively document opinions and
ideas of an issue/process in terms of positive (rose), potential (bud), and negative (thorn) in
order to gain deeper understanding. This deeper insight allows a more definitive point of view,
which in turn enables you to be more expert in framing problems prior to solution generation.
Time: 60 – 70 minutes
Materials:
All sticky notes should be the same size and shape but different colors
Sticky notes – pink
Sticky notes – green
Sticky notes – blue or turquoise
Horizontal easel poster sheets for each table (2 together)
Black Sharpies for each participant
Notes to the facilitator:
Critical points the facilitators need to make:
• RBT helps the group to understand the broader scope of the problem or issue
• Collaborative design thinking tools and methods, especially when used in sequence with
each other, help a group move away from quick problem labeling and solution finding
into more systematic and shared approaches
• A problem that is framed accurately has a better chance of being solved in a matter that
uncovers the root cause and thus improves the current system
• This is an ideation exercise and not a time for solution.

2. Gaining Understanding:
Using the Rose Bud Thorn and Affinity Clustering Methods
Page 2
Intro and overview (5 minutes)
Overview of problem framing as a concept to understand the problem more deeply and the use
of a RBT as a collaborative method
Provide the instructions and let them do each step.
Silent Individual Ideation: (7- 10 minutes)
1. Using the trigger question have participants individually and independently respond to
the question by writing all ideas on a sheet of paper.
2. After 5 minutes have them transfer these ideas to the appropriate sticky with one
comment/thought per note. Remind them to use the Sharpies so the idea is visible
from a distance.
Group Posting the notes with discussion (Affinity Clustering): (20 – 25 minutes)
3. Sharing, discussing, and grouping. After silent ideation, participants at each table will
post their ideas on a large white board made by using 2 sheets of Horizontal poster
paper. There are several ways to do this. One way to do this is to have the first
participant read aloud one of their ideas and post. As this is done in Round-robin style,
other participants add like items in close proximity to the first item. Once all like items
from one topic have been posted, a second participant starts a new cluster, repeating
the process of clustering like themes or topics like an affinity diagram, until all sticky
notes from all participants have been posted. This way of posting creates affinity
buckets.
Another way to post is to have everyone put all of their sticky notes randomly on the
sheet. Then once all sticky notes are up, start the affinity process. The goal of both
ways is to end up with affinity clusters.
4. Label. Review the various groups to see if there are redundancies or overlaps.
Label each cluster. Discuss the clusters and their inter-relationships. What are the
themes? What are the successes, the opportunities, and the major challenges for each
cluster? Which clusters have the most roses? Which have the most thorns? Where are
the most buds?
Caveats:
• Make sure the trigger question is clear and understood by all participants
• Roses are successes. Buds are the most difficult to identify, because they are not
successes, but they are not severe pain points either. Thorns are most definitely the
challenges and the pain points.
• The purpose is identification of all issues and sorting into the three categories to gain a
deeper understanding of the all of the issues involved. This insight will help frame the
issue and led to a more effective solution. Fixing the problem or talking about options
for solutions is not part of this exercise.

3. Gaining Understanding:
Using the Rose Bud Thorn and Affinity Clustering Methods
Page 3
Review the completed group document (5 minutes)
What surprised you?
What squares with your thinking?
Discussion– What is a Problem Statement now? (5 minutes)
How might you reframe the problem/issue to reflect this analysis? How might you reframe the
issue to help brand the people side of organizations?
Whole group report out (15 minutes)
What was similar between groups?
What was different between groups?
How has their understanding of the problem changed as a result of this activity?
What are the big TakeAways on the problem?
How might they use the Rose Bud Thorn Method for other problems or issues?
TakeAways;
• I was surprised…
• I wonder if…
• I will…
Credits:
LUMA Institute, Innovating for People: Handbook of Human-Centered Design Methods, 2012