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Criterion
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Paper illustration of Shape Up with its method-specific working model.
Delivery
Shape Up
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
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.Shape Up helps clarify scope, sequence, and delivery flow. It makes work boundaries and decisions explicit and captures results as pitches, bet-table decisions, and hill charts.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.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
LowMediumLowLow
Timedifferent
45–90 min6 Wochen Cycle + 2 Wochen Cool-Down30–60 min15-30 min
Participantsdifferent
3-102-4 pro Pitch4-82-6
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areasPitches, Bet-table decisions, Hill charts, Cooldown outcomesEmpathy Map, Assumptions List, Research GapsRoot cause notes, Countermeasures
Tagsno overlap
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
PlanningDeliveryAutonomy
SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
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