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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration of a Concept Map with concepts and labelled links
Knowledge Modeling
Concept Mapping
Paper illustration of MORT Analysis with its method-specific working model.
Operations
MORT Analysis
Paper illustration for Causal Factor Analysis.
Operations
Causal Factor Analysis
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.For a safety-relevant event or a system with high protection requirements, the method examines where controls failed. It exposes both technical and organizational gaps.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumHighHigh
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen1-2 hMehrere Tage bis Wochen2-6 h
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen1-82-63-10
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsConcept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge GapsMORT Worksheets, Findings per Branch, Corrective Actions, Systemic RecommendationsEvent Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking
Root causeSafetySystemicIncident
CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline
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