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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  Innovation Design Charrette |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing. | 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. | In a tightly timed design process with many participants, the method pools several lines of thinking in a short time. It brings parallel design energy without letting the discussion tip into endless coordination. This quickly produces solid directions for architecture or space. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 30–60 min | 45-90 min | Halber Tag bis mehrere Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 4-8 | 3-10 | 10-50 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Sketches and Concepts, Consolidated Solution Sketch, Prioritized Direction |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | BrainstormingWorkshopCollaborationIdeation |