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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  UX Research User Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 45-90 min | 30–60 min per interview |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-10 | 2-8 | 1 participant per interview |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | InnovationPrototypeResearch | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery |