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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Innovation Design Sprint |  Growth A/B Testing |  Product Discovery Smoke 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 the product question is unclear and time pressure is high, the method takes a team from an open idea to a testable solution. It connects problem understanding, decision, and learning in one compact format, lowering the risk of spending a lot of energy on a mere guess. | When two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 4-5 Tage | 1-4 Wochen | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 5-8 | 1-6 | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth |