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| Criterion |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 20–45 min | 20-45 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | Small cross-functional group | Based on research question | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | DecisionTreeOptions | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | Information architectureNavigationStructure | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |