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| Criterion |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Knowledge Modeling Concept Mapping |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  UX Research Diary Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. | Concept Mapping arranges terms and relationships in a network that makes subject-matter connections tangible. It fits when a topic needs to be understood structurally rather than linearly. | When a goal needs to be connected to several possible paths, it shows chains of impact instead of feature lists. It connects business goal, behavior change, and measures. | When experiences build up over days or weeks and a single session cannot capture them, Diary Study records the course of everyday life. Recurring triggers, moods, and habits become visible this way, beyond the sharpness of memory. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 1-4 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 1-8 | 3-8 | 5-20 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Concept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge Gaps | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | UX researchTrackingBehavior |