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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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 demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 45–90 min | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-10 | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth |
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