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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration of Leverage Points with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
Leverage Points
Paper illustration for Diary Study.
UX Research
Diary Study
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.Leverage Points show exactly where interventions in a system produce a disproportionate effect. It draws relationships, patterns, and feedback loops. The result is captured as a leverage map and action strategy.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumHighMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 WochenHalf day1-4 Wochen
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen3-125-20
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopAsync
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsLeverage Map, Action StrategyDiary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
Systems thinkingChangeStrategy
UX researchTrackingBehavior
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of the Force Field Analysis working structure.
Decision Making
Force Field Analysis
Paper illustration for Future Reality Tree.
Systems Thinking
Future Reality Tree
Paper illustration of a branching impact map with a Why goal at the root, actor circles, How behavior changes and What options.
Product Strategy
Impact Mapping
Paper illustration for Intervention Mapping.
Systems Thinking
Intervention Mapping