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| Criterion |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Product Discovery Assumption 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. | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-3 h | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |
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