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| Criterion | ![]() Innovation Design Thinking | ![]() UX Research Card Sorting | ![]() Product Discovery Assumption Mapping | ![]() Product Discovery Riskiest Assumption Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | 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. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | When an idea hinges on one critical unknown, it prioritizes testing that exact piece of uncertainty first. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a prioritized list of assumptions, a test plan, and a result report. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 20-45 min | 45-60 min | 1-2 Wochen pro Iteration |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | Based on research question | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Prioritized Assumption List, Test Plan, Results Report |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | Information architectureNavigationStructure | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryAssumptions |



