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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Operations 8D Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | 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. | For an acute quality or delivery problem, the method structures immediate protection and root cause work together. It keeps the situation stable while the actual cause is investigated cleanly. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 30-60 min | 1-2 Tage | 1-6 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-8 | Based on research question | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | 8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | Root causeQualityOperations | Information architectureNavigationFindability | QualityProblem solvingRoot cause |