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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Product Discovery Fake Door 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 a lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | When demand is still unclear, it measures interest in a feature before it is built. It separates real behavior from polite agreement and deliberately keeps build effort small. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 30–60 min | 1-5 Tage | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 4-8 | Nutzertraffic | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Click Data, Interest Signal, Learning Decision |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | ValidationExperimentsDemandDiscovery |