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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Operations
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Paper illustration for Knowledge Mapping.
Knowledge Modeling
Knowledge 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.For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumHighMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen2-6 h1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen3-103-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsFMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation ActionsKnowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer Plan
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause
KnowledgeMappingRisk
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of a Concept Map with concepts and labelled links
Knowledge Modeling
Concept Mapping