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| Criterion |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Facilitation Dot Voting |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. | When a workshop has produced too many options and the group needs to condense quickly, dot voting makes preferences visible in a short time. It bundles individual votes into a solid signal for the next selection. | 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 a lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 5-15 min | 45–90 min | 30–60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-30 | 3-20 | 3-10 | 4-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | Ranked list, Consensus signal, Shortlist | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | FacilitationVotingConsensusPrioritization | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop |