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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Product Discovery Opportunity Interview |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  UX Research User Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 opportunities are still hidden behind signals of need, it structures conversations around needs and obstacles. It looks for patterns that lead to new product opportunities. | 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 teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 30-60 min je Interview | 30–60 min | 30–60 min per interview |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 5-12 Interviews | 4-8 | 1 participant per interview |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Interview Notes, Opportunity Themes, Customer Quotes | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | DiscoveryInterviewsOpportunityCustomer | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery |