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Criterion
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Decision Tree method illustration showing its working structure
Decision Making
Decision Tree
Paper illustration for Constraint Analysis.
Decision Making
Constraint Analysis
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.For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch.When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLow
Timedifferent
45–90 min30-90 min30-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-101-62-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areasDecision Tree, Option Map, Assumption ListConstraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries
Tagsno overlap
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
DecisionTreeOptions
ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions
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Often compared together

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

Paper illustration for Current Reality Tree
Systems Thinking
Current Reality Tree
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
Paper illustration for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Decision Making
Pre-Mortem