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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration of MORT Analysis with its method-specific working model.
Operations
MORT Analysis
Paper illustration for Fault Tree Analysis.
Operations
Fault Tree Analysis
Paper illustration for Causal Factor Analysis.
Operations
Causal Factor Analysis
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.For a safety-relevant event or a system with high protection requirements, the method examines where controls failed. It exposes both technical and organizational gaps.For a critical top event with several possible triggers, the method logically models failure paths. It makes visible which combinations of conditions can lead to damage.For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events.
Complexitydifferent
MediumHighHighHigh
Timedifferent
1-3 WochenMehrere Tage bis Wochen2-6 h2-6 h
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen2-63-83-10
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsMORT Worksheets, Findings per Branch, Corrective Actions, Systemic RecommendationsFault Tree, Critical Paths, Cause Hypotheses, Control ActionsEvent Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
Root causeSafetySystemicIncident
RiskRoot causeSafety
CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline
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