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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  UX Research User Interviews |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  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. | 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. | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. | 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 | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 30–60 min per interview | 45–90 min | 4-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 1 participant per interview | 3-10 | 5-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation |