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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration for Knowledge Mapping.
Knowledge Modeling
Knowledge Mapping
Paper illustration of an IBIS map with issues, positions and arguments
Knowledge Modeling
IBIS
Paper illustration of a Concept Map with concepts and labelled links
Knowledge Modeling
Concept 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.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.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.Concept Mapping arranges terms and relationships in a network that makes subject-matter connections tangible. It fits when a topic needs to be understood structurally rather than linearly.
Complexitysame
MediumMediumMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen1-3 h1-3 h1-2 h
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen3-122-81-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsKnowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer PlanIssue Map, Positions, Argument NotesConcept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge Gaps
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
KnowledgeMappingRisk
RationaleKnowledgeDecision
KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking
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