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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Context Map workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Domain Modeling
Context Map
Paper illustration for Knowledge Mapping.
Knowledge Modeling
Knowledge Mapping
Paper illustration of a Concept Map with concepts and labelled links
Knowledge Modeling
Concept Mapping
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.When several contexts need to talk to each other, it makes their relationships and dependencies legible. It helps sort integration pressure and responsibilities across system boundaries.Knowledge Mapping makes knowledge, gaps, and transfer paths visible across a field. It fits when expertise should not just exist but also be findable and transferable.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.
Complexitysame
MediumMediumMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen1-3 h1-3 h1-2 h
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen2-83-121-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsContext Map, Integration Patterns, Boundary NotesKnowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer PlanConcept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge Gaps
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
Domain-Driven DesignBoundariesStrategy
KnowledgeMappingRisk
KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking
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