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| Criterion |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. | 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 an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | 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 | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45–90 min | 30-90 min | 30–60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 3-10 | 2-8 | 4-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | SensemakingDecisionRationale | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop |