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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Affinity Diagramming | ![]() Knowledge Modeling Knowledge Mapping | ![]() UX Research User Interviews | ![]() 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 1-3 h | 30–60 min per interview | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-12 | 1 participant per interview | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Knowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer Plan | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | KnowledgeMappingRisk | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |



