View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  UX Research Diary Study |  Innovation Brainwriting |  Innovation Design Charrette |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | When loud voices or hierarchy distort the idea search, the method creates a quiet entry into joint development. It gives everyone thinking space and gathers contributions without social brakes, making diversity more visible and easier to build on. | In a tightly timed design process with many participants, the method pools several lines of thinking in a short time. It brings parallel design energy without letting the discussion tip into endless coordination. This quickly produces solid directions for architecture or space. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-4 Wochen | 15-30 min | Halber Tag bis mehrere Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 5-20 | 3-12 | 10-50 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | Idea sheets, Expanded concepts, Prioritized list | Sketches and Concepts, Consolidated Solution Sketch, Prioritized Direction |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | UX researchTrackingBehavior | BrainstormingCollaborationInclusionIdeas | BrainstormingWorkshopCollaborationIdeation |