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| Criterion | ![]() UX Design Design Studio | ![]() Operations 5 Whys | ![]() Operations Root Cause Analysis | ![]() Operations Barrier Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When several designs need to be quickly put in relation to each other, it makes ideas visible and comparable. It encourages early variants instead of long upfront debates. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | For a risk that can only be managed through multiple layers of protection, the method examines the effectiveness of each barrier. It shows where safeguards are missing, too weak, or fail under real conditions. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 15-30 min | 1-4 h | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-6 | 3-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Sketches, Concept Directions, Design Decisions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | SketchingCollaborationIdeation | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeSafetyIncident |



