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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Affinity Diagramming | ![]() Facilitation Nominal Group Technique | ![]() Operations Root Cause 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. | When loud voices could dominate a round, Nominal Group Technique protects individual thinking time from group effects. It collects ideas separately first and only then enables shared weighting. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 60-120 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 5-12 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Ranked Ideas, Clarified Options, Group Priority | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | FacilitationPrioritizationVotingInclusion | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |
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