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 |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations Waste Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 work sits in too many parallel streams, throughput suffers and no one sees the bottlenecks. Kanban makes the flow of work visible and limits overload so a system becomes calmer and more predictable. | For a process that keeps people busy but creates little value, the method exposes waste. It directs attention to unnecessary movement, waiting times, rework, and overdelivery. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | Ongoing | 45-120 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 2-12 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Waste Map, Prioritized Waste, Improvement Backlog | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | FlowVisual managementDelivery | WasteLeanProcess improvement | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |