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Criterion
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Paper illustration of a calm four-quadrant Assumption Map with hypothesis cards and emphasis on important assumptions with little evidence.
Product Discovery
Assumption Mapping
Paper illustration for Knowledge Mapping.
Knowledge Modeling
Knowledge Mapping
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
Purposedifferent
When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer.When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first.Knowledge Mapping makes knowledge, gaps, and transfer paths visible across a field. It fits when expertise should not just exist but also be findable and transferable.Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
45–90 min45-60 min1-3 h45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-102-83-122-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areasAssumption map, Test backlog, Risk rankingKnowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer PlanAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan
Tagsno overlap
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation
KnowledgeMappingRisk
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
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