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| Criterion | ![]() Innovation Design Thinking | ![]() Innovation Lean Startup | ![]() Product Strategy Lean Canvas | ![]() Innovation Design Sprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | When an early product bet still has too many open points, it brings target group, problem, and assumptions into a single view. It condenses the idea so core risks become nameable. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 45-90 min | 4-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-8 | 1-6 | 5-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | Lean Canvas, Core Assumptions, Experiment Backlog | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | LeanStartupValidationMVP | StartupLeanAssumptionsBusiness model | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation |



