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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research Diary Study |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  Business Strategy GAP 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 experiences build up over days or weeks and a single session cannot capture them, Diary Study records the course of everyday life. Recurring triggers, moods, and habits become visible this way, beyond the sharpness of memory. | When a goal needs to be connected to several possible paths, it shows chains of impact instead of feature lists. It connects business goal, behavior change, and measures. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-4 Wochen | 45-90 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 5-20 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | UX researchTrackingBehavior | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | StrategyAnalysisPlanning |