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| Criterion |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Decision Making Decision Rights Mapping |  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. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. | 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 | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45–90 min | 90-180 min | 30–60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 3-10 | 4-12 | 4-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | SensemakingDecisionRationale | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop |