methodatlas
Compare

View methods side by side.

Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.

Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper notes move from an inbox to action, project and calendar collections.
Operations
Getting Things Done
Gemba Walk workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
Gemba Walk
Paper illustration for ALPEN Method
Operations
ALPEN Method
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.With many open commitments and ideas in daily life, a reliable external storage system emerges. The method relieves the mind so priority and context don't have to compete in memory.When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions.With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowLow
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen1-2 h Setup, laufend30-120 min10-20 min daily
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen12-61
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncWorkshopAsync
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsAction Lists, Project List, Review RoutineObservation Notes, Improvement IdeasDaily Plan, Time Estimates, Review Notes
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
ProductivityPlanningTasksExecution
LeanObservationProcessOperations
PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations
Add more methods