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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. | 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 a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 1-3 h | 1-5 Tage | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-8 | Nutzertraffic | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |