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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Operations After-Action Review |  Agile Sprint Retrospective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. | When a sprint is over and friction shouldn't simply be carried forward, it opens the view onto collaboration and patterns. It creates space to see causes and changes together. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-2 Tage | 20-45 min | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Based on research question | 3-12 | Scrum Team |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Improvement actions, Team agreements |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | Information architectureNavigationFindability | LearningOperationsImprovement | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning |