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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  UX Research User Interviews |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | 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. | 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. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 45–90 min | 30–60 min per interview | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-10 | 1 participant per interview | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |