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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research User Interviews |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |
|---|---|---|---|
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 teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible. | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 30–60 min per interview | 45–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 1 participant per interview | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause |
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