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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Force Field Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
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 an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | In change initiatives, supporting and restraining forces sit at the table at the same time. Force Field Analysis makes these tensions explicit and shows where change can be pushed forward by strengthening or relieving. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 30-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-8 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Force Field Map, Change Levers, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | ChangeDecisionStrategy |
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