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Criterion
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
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 teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible.
Complexitysame
LowLow
Timedifferent
15-30 min30–60 min per interview
Participantsdifferent
2-61 participant per interview
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Root cause notes, CountermeasuresInterview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary
Tagsno overlap
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming