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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Affinity Diagramming | ![]() UX Research Surveys | ![]() UX Research Card Sorting |
|---|---|---|---|
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 topic needs to be validated broadly and many people can answer the same question, surveys gather structured feedback in a scalable form. Answers become comparable and segmentable instead of remaining merely anecdotal. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 3-14 Tage | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 50+ | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Survey Results, Charts, Segment Insights | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | QuantitativeResearchValidation | Information architectureNavigationStructure |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.






