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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 2-6 h | 45-90 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-10 | 2-5 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | Root causeQualityOperations |