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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  UX Research Card Sorting |  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 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. | 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 | High |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 20-45 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Based on research question | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Information architectureNavigationStructure | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |
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