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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Operations 8D Problem Solving |  Facilitation Decision Jam |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | For an acute quality or delivery problem, the method structures immediate protection and root cause work together. It keeps the situation stable while the actual cause is investigated cleanly. | When a decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer. | 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 | High | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-6 Wochen | 60-90 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 4-10 | 4-10 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | 8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan | Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, Experiment | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | QualityProblem solvingRoot cause | FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |