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 |  Knowledge Modeling Knowledge Mapping |  UX Research Diary Study |  Agile ROAM Board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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 work needs to move between different states or columns, it makes that movement and its handoffs legible. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as a ROAM Board and an Owner List. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-3 h | 1-4 Wochen | 20-40 min initial, dann laufend |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 3-12 | 5-20 | 3-15 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Knowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer Plan | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | ROAM Board, Owner List |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | KnowledgeMappingRisk | UX researchTrackingBehavior | RiskAgileTrackingAlignment |