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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Product Discovery Opportunity Solution Tree |  Product Strategy GIST Planning |  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 discovery keeps swinging between goals, ideas, and learning loops, it creates clear steering logic. It connects the desired outcome, opportunities, and experiments into a legible structure. | GIST Planning helps clarify target groups, value, goals, and priorities. It links customer value, product logic, and decision priorities, and captures the result as goals, an idea bank, and a step-project list. | 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 | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 1-2 h Setup, laufend | Wochen bis Monate je Goal | 30–60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-6 | 3-10 | 4-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Opportunity Solution Tree, Experiment Backlog, Learning Log | Goals, Idea bank, Step-project list, Tasks, Learning reports | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | DiscoveryOutcomesExperimentsOpportunity | RoadmapOutcomesPlanningExperiments | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop |