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| Criterion |  UX Research Diary Study |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research HEART Framework |  Product Strategy Counter Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When experiences build up over days or weeks and a single session cannot capture them, Diary Study records the course of everyday life. Recurring triggers, moods, and habits become visible this way, beyond the sharpness of memory. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. | Helps clarify observations, needs, and patterns in concrete terms. It groups observations into patterns, questions, and decisions. The result is captured as a HEART-GSM table and dashboard. | When a headline metric could mask side effects, it adds guardrail signals against unwanted outcomes. It connects customer value, product logic, and decision priorities. The result is captured as a counter-metric list and guardrail definitions. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 Wochen | 20-45 min | 120 min initial, dann laufend | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-20 | Based on research question | 3-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | HEART-GSM Table, Dashboard | Counter Metric List, Guardrail Definitions |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchTrackingBehavior | Information architectureNavigationStructure | MetricsUX researchMeasurementSatisfaction | MetricsMeasurementStrategyExperiments |