If you're an "out of the box" thinker, or when the relationships you're charting aren't as straightforward as you'd like, these wheel diagram graphic organizers are a great tool! You can use these to separate variables into broad categories before trying to pin them down any further. As you refine the characteristics of the relationships, you can add more spokes, until you have all of the categories and divisions you need.
There's a reason Facebook gives you an "It's Complicated" option. Sometimes relationships don't fit into neat little boxes. If that's the case, use these templates.
This seems to be one of the more popular graphic organizers based on the number of views and prints that we see of it. This graphic organizer reminds me of the game I had as a kid called "Simon".
State a centered theme or topic in the center and brainstorm all related data to generate categories. This is more often used to come up with new ideas that are simple to drive down.
How to Use Wheel and Spoke Diagram
The wheel and spoke diagram is an elaborative model for connecting the main and related components. It has a layout like a wheel with spokes on the outside. Educational institutes and workplaces use this diagram to enhance the productivity of the students or employees. By placing the core concept in the center, the representer highlights the primarily related factors using small spokes to establish a link in between.
The wheel and spoke model is also called the hub and spoke diagram. You can use it in multiple ways to elaborate on relationships between different factors. Let’s look at how to use the wheel and spoke graph.
Steps to Use Wheel and Spoke Model
Creating a wheel and spoke graph is easy. However, you may need to be clear about why you are using it. While most concepts explained using the graph do not follow a particular hierarchy, some ideas need careful planning. To keep it simple and easy to comprehend, you need to make it less complicated.
Regardless of the concept, you need to explain using the hub and spoke diagram; the following steps can help you use it correctly.
Define Purpose
In the first step, you need to define the purpose of your wheel and spoke model. You can place the core component of your discussion in the center (wheel). If you are unsure that you should put which factor in the hub, you may create a rough draft on paper to analyze the determining factor.
Define Attributes
This step needs to define all the related attributes, ideas, or items you want to add to the sides (spokes). You can create blocks to associate spokes with associated data on a draft. This will help you ensure you do not miss out on valuable information.
Create Spokes
Once you finalize the items, you can create spokes around the wheel. The number and size of the spokes depending on the type of information you need to place in them. You may also need to ensure hierarchy (if required) in this step to avoid any errors.
Additional Information
After creating spokes, you may need to add one or two pointers around each circle to elaborate the items. The pointers should be short and precise. You may also need to use simple language for easy comprehension.
Establish Relation
In the final step, you can establish a relationship between the core component (wheel) and the related ideas (spokes). You can use arrowheads to point inwards or outwards, depending on the nature of your model. If you have to maintain a hierarchy, you can point arrowheads to follow the correct order from the first to the last step.
Areas of Use
You can use the hub and spoke model in diverse settings. The diagram can define linked addresses in networking, represent the departmental hierarchy in workplaces, and highlight cause and effect relationships.
The simplicity of this diagram makes it widely popular to elaborate on complex processes. Apart from the simple uses, you can also find its application in scientific laboratories and medical facilities. While this may be correct, the complexity of the information may vary.
The wheel and spoke diagram is also an efficient alternative for theoretical data. Using this model, you can arrange large pieces of textual information in visual form.
Creation Tools
If you want to digitally create a hub and spoke diagram, you can find various tools to draw it. By using drag-and-drop tools, you can make the model in a few seconds. However, you may need to arrange your data to avoid problems while drawing the diagram.