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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Decision Making Trade-off 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 several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | When a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 45-90 min | 1-2 Tage | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-8 | Based on research question | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | Information architectureNavigationFindability | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions |