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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Product Discovery Riskiest Assumption 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 assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | 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 idea hinges on one critical unknown, it prioritizes testing that exact piece of uncertainty first. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a prioritized list of assumptions, a test plan, and a result report. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 45-60 min | 45–90 min | 1-2 Wochen pro Iteration |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-8 | 3-10 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Prioritized Assumption List, Test Plan, Results Report |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryAssumptions |