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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Card Sorting | ![]() Operations Gemba Walk | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects 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 there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 30-120 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | LeanObservationProcessOperations | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |
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