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| Criterion |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Knowledge Modeling Knowledge Mapping |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  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. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-3 h | 1-5 Tage | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 3-12 | Nutzertraffic | 1-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Knowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer Plan | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Concept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | KnowledgeMappingRisk | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking |