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| Criterion |  UX Research Diary Study |  UX Research Card Sorting |  UX Research Usability Testing |  Innovation Design Sprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a product is built but people get stuck on tasks, usability testing shows the friction at concrete points. Observed use instead of self-report makes visible where orientation, understanding, or interaction breaks down. | 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 | Medium | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-4 Wochen | 20-45 min | 1-2 h je Session | 4-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 5-20 | Based on research question | Based on research question | 5-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchTrackingBehavior | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ValidationUXPrototype | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation |