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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Operations 5 Whys |  Facilitation Decision Jam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. | 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 decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 1-3 h | 15-30 min | 60-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 5-30 | 2-6 | 4-10 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, Experiment |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop |