Fishbone Diagram

Fishbone Diagram in UX Problem Analysis

Finding the root cause of user problems is key to effective solutions. The Fishbone Diagram (also known as the Ishikawa or Cause-and-Effect Diagram) is a visual tool for analysing causes and effects. It is helpful in UX for exploring reasons behind usability issues or negative user behaviours found during research. This article covers the Fishbone Diagram. It explains its structure and how it applies to UX. It also discusses why it’s important for root cause analysis. Finally, it outlines its advantages and challenges.

What is a Fishbone Diagram?

A Fishbone Diagram visually shows all the possible causes of a specific problem or effect. It gets its name from its appearance, which resembles the skeleton of a fish.

The structure includes:

The “Head”: Located on the right side, this is where the specific problem or “effect” is stated clearly.
The “Spine”: A horizontal line extending from the head to the left.
Major “Bones”: Several diagonal lines branching off the spine. Each of these bones represents a major category of potential causes that might contribute to the problem.
Smaller “Bones” (Twigs): Lines branching off the major bones. These represent more specific potential causes within each category.

The process involves brainstorming all possible causes within major categories and adding them to the diagram. The goal is to explore potential factors contributing to the problem. This approach goes beyond obvious explanations to find the root causes.

In UX, the “Head” of the fishbone diagram represents a user-related issue or outcome found during research. Examples are: “Users aren’t finishing the sign-up form,” “Errors on feature X are rising,” “There’s negative feedback on feature Y’s complexity,” and “Feature Z is used less.” The diagram helps teams think of all possible reasons for the user issue. It structures the brainstorming and analysis phase after data collection. This method guides teams from understanding “what is happening” to exploring “why it is happening.”

Key Components of the Fishbone Diagram

Using a Fishbone Diagram to tackle a UX problem starts with defining the issue. Then, you brainstorm possible causes in related categories.

Define the Problem (The Head): Start by clearly and specifically stating the user problem or negative outcome you want to analyze. This problem should be clear and supported by research data. For example, there could be a high drop-off rate in a specific user flow seen in analytics. It might also be a common point of confusion found in usability testing or a recurring issue noted in user interviews or support tickets. Be as specific as possible (e.g., instead of “Users are confused,” use “New users are unable to complete the profile setup wizard”).
Establish Major Cause Categories (The Bones): Determine the high-level categories of potential causes relevant to your UX problem. Traditional manufacturing often uses categories like “Manpower,” “Machine,” “Material,” and “Method.” In contrast, relevant categories for UX and software include:
- User: Characteristics of the user themselves (e.g., lack of prior knowledge, technical skill level, motivation, mental model).
- Interface/Product: Issues related to the design, layout, navigation, clarity of copy, functionality, or visual hierarchy of the product.
- Process/Flow: Problems within the steps of the user journey or workflow that might be inefficient, illogical, or have poor handoffs between stages or touchpoints.
- Environment/Context: Factors related to the physical environment (noise, lighting), social environment (distractions), technical environment (device, connection speed), or organizational context impacting use.
- Communication/Information: Issues with instructions, documentation, onboarding messages, error messages, or support resources.
- System/Technology: Underlying technical issues, performance problems, bugs, or limitations of the platform.
- Note: Categories can be customized based on the specific problem being analyzed.
Brainstorm Specific Causes (Smaller Bones): For each major category, brainstorm all possible specific factors that could be contributing to the problem stated in the head. Encourage broad thinking and don’t filter initially. This brainstorming should be informed by:
- UX Research Findings: Drawing directly on specific observations from usability tests (e.g., “User hesitated at step 3,” “User missed the save button”), quotes from interviews (“I didn’t know what that meant”), patterns in analytics data (e.g., “Drop-off happens after this specific interaction”), or feedback from surveys/support.
- Team Knowledge: Leveraging the expertise and observations of product managers, engineers, support staff, and other team members who interact with the product or users.
Organize and Analyze: Place the brainstormed specific causes under the appropriate major bones. Discuss and analyze the completed diagram as a team. Look for causes that appear multiple times, causes that seem particularly likely based on your research data, or causes that could be the root of several other identified causes. The diagram helps visualize the potential contributing factors and their relationships.
Identify Potential Root Cause(s): Based on the analysis, identify the most likely or impactful root cause(s) among the brainstormed list. These are often the underlying issues that, if addressed, would eliminate or significantly reduce the problem.
Validation and Action (Post-Diagram): The Fishbone Diagram helps identify potential root causes. Crucially, these potential causes may need further validation through additional research or data analysis. Once validated, the team can design and implement solutions that target these root causes, rather than just treating the symptoms.

The Fishbone Diagram is commonly used in workshops. It helps teams discuss the possible causes of a user problem together.

Why Fishbone Diagrams are Important

Using Fishbone Diagrams in UX problem analysis has many benefits. They help teams focus on the right issues effectively. Its importance lies in:

Structured Root Cause Analysis: Provides a systematic and organized framework for exploring all potential contributing factors to a user problem, moving beyond superficial explanations.
Facilitates Comprehensive Brainstorming: Encourages the team to think broadly across different categories of causes (User, Interface, Process, Environment, etc.), reducing the chance of overlooking key factors.
Visual Communication: Creates a clear and easy-to-understand visual representation of the problem and its potential causes, making it easy to share findings and facilitate discussion across the team and with stakeholders.
Promotes Collaborative Problem Solving: It’s an excellent tool for cross-functional teams to contribute their diverse knowledge and perspectives on the potential origins of a problem, fostering shared understanding and alignment.
Identifies Interconnectedness: Can help illustrate how multiple factors or causes might be linked or contribute together to a single user problem.
Informs Targeted Solutions: By identifying potential root causes, teams can design solutions that address the fundamental source of the problem, which are typically more effective and sustainable than solutions that only treat the symptoms.
Prioritizes Further Research: If brainstorming reveals several plausible potential causes, the diagram can help identify which ones require further investigation through additional user research or data analysis to confirm the true root cause.

The Fishbone Diagram gives UX teams a clear way to analyse user problems. This helps them and their partners create better, user-focused solutions.

Pros and Cons of Fishbone Diagrams

A Fishbone Diagram is a useful tool for analysing problems in UX. It provides clear benefits, but it also has some limitations.

Pros of Using Fishbone Diagrams in UX:

Structured Approach: Provides a systematic framework for brainstorming and categorizing causes.
Facilitates Comprehensive Brainstorming: Encourages broad thinking across potential cause categories.
Visually Clear: Easy-to-understand visual representation of the problem and causes.
Promotes Collaboration: Excellent tool for cross-functional team workshops.
Helps Identify Potential Root Causes: Guides the team toward the underlying reasons for a problem.
Useful for Focusing Research/Solutions: Informs where to investigate further or what to fix.
Moves Beyond Symptoms: Encourages analysis of deeper issues.

Cons of Using Fishbone Diagrams in UX:

Relies on Participant Input: The quality of the diagram depends on the knowledge and brainstorming contributions of the individuals involved.
Doesn’t Automatically Identify the Actual Root Cause: The diagram presents potential causes; confirming the true root cause(s) requires validation through data analysis or further research.
Can Become Complex: If too many potential causes are brainstormed, the diagram can become cluttered and difficult to manage.
Effectiveness Depends on Facilitation: Requires a skilled facilitator to guide the brainstorming and analysis process effectively.
Not a Data Collection Method: It’s an analysis tool that uses data, but doesn’t collect it itself.
Risk of Focusing on Easy-to-Fix Causes: Teams might gravitate towards causes that are easy to address rather than the true, more complex root causes identified.

Despite these limitations, when used effectively by a knowledgeable team and followed by validation, the Fishbone Diagram serves as a powerful technique for gaining clarity on user problems.