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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration for Time Blocking
Operations
Time Blocking
Decision Tree method illustration showing its working structure
Decision Making
Decision Tree
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.With a calendar that grows on request, the method makes available time explicit again. It combines appointments, focus work, and buffer into a more realistic day structure.For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen15-30 min Planung, laufend30-90 min
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen11-6
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsBlocked Calendar, Capacity View, Focus PlanDecision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
PlanningTime managementFocus
DecisionTreeOptions
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Constraint Analysis.
Decision Making
Constraint Analysis
Paper illustration for ALPEN Method
Operations
ALPEN Method
A paper tomato timer connects a focus task, short breaks and a work record.
Operations
Pomodoro Technique
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Decision Making
Pre-Mortem