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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  UX Research Surveys |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. | When a topic needs to be validated broadly and many people can answer the same question, surveys gather structured feedback in a scalable form. Answers become comparable and segmentable instead of remaining merely anecdotal. | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 3-14 Tage | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 50+ | 4-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Survey Results, Charts, Segment Insights | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | QuantitativeResearchValidation | InnovationPrototypeResearch | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |