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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Innovation Brainstorming |  Innovation Rapid Ideation |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | When a decision needs to be prepared quickly, the method generates many solution-close variants in a short time. It deliberately relies on pace to undercut self-censorship and perfectionism. This quickly produces a usable field for prioritization and further work. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 30-60 min | 5-20 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 4-12 | 1-20 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | Ideenpool, Roh-Shortlist, Cluster | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | BrainstormingIdeationDivergenceSpeed | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop |