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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Facilitation Stakeholder Mapping |  Business Strategy McKinsey 7S |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. | When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first. | McKinsey 7S checks whether Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, and Staff fit together. Organizational misalignments become visible across multiple levers as a result. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-2 h | 60–90 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 4-12 | 2-8 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Stakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes | 7S Assessment, Alignment Gaps, Change Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange | OrganizationStrategyAlignmentChange |