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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Architecture arc42 |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-4 h | 1-2 Tage | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-8 | 1-4 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |