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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  UX Research Personas |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | When target groups stay too vague and teams talk about the same people differently, personas create a shared, solid picture of usage. Condensed profiles make needs, contexts, and differences tangible enough for decisions. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 1-4 h | 1-3 Tage | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-8 | Internes Team | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Persona Profiles, Needs Summary, Scenario Notes | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ResearchCustomerSynthesis | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |