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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Facilitation Decision Jam |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | 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. | When a lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 60-90 min | 1-4 h | 30–60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-10 | 3-8 | 4-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, Experiment | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop |