View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-5 Tage | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Nutzertraffic | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checks | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |