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 Shape-First Modeling | ![]() Knowledge Modeling Competency Questions | ![]() Product Discovery Context Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Shape-First Modeling defines data quality through shapes before implementation or integration frays at the edges. The approach fits when validation and data contracts should be part of the design from the start. | Competency Questions translate a domain model into concrete questions that it must be able to answer. The method keeps the model's scope clean and prevents pretty but useless structures. | When an environment of users, systems, and constraints is hard to grasp, it puts the context compactly on the table. It creates a clear reading of influence, boundary, and dependency. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | Halber Tag pro Domain Slice | 2-4 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 1-4 | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | SHACL or ShEx Shapes, Validation Reports, Data Contracts, Shape Documentation | Competency Question Set, Required Concepts, Test Queries, Coverage Matrix | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | Knowledge graphValidationSemantic | OntologyKnowledge graphScopeRequirementsSemantic | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas |



