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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Innovation Design Sprint |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research Surveys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 the product question is unclear and time pressure is high, the method takes a team from an open idea to a testable solution. It connects problem understanding, decision, and learning in one compact format, lowering the risk of spending a lot of energy on a mere guess. | 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 a topic needs to be validated broadly and many people can answer the same question, surveys gather structured feedback in a scalable form. Answers become comparable and segmentable instead of remaining merely anecdotal. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 4-5 Tage | 20-45 min | 3-14 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 5-8 | Based on research question | 50+ |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Survey Results, Charts, Segment Insights |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation | Information architectureNavigationStructure | QuantitativeResearchValidation |