methodatlas
Compare

View methods side by side.

Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.

Criterion
Paper illustration for Diary Study.
UX Research
Diary Study
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration of MORT Analysis with its method-specific working model.
Operations
MORT Analysis
Paper illustration for Causal Factor Analysis.
Operations
Causal Factor Analysis
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 work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise.For a safety-relevant event or a system with high protection requirements, the method examines where controls failed. It exposes both technical and organizational gaps.For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumHighHigh
Timedifferent
1-4 Wochen1-3 WochenMehrere Tage bis Wochen2-6 h
Participantsdifferent
5-204-12 Beobachtungen2-63-10
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience TimelineField Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsMORT Worksheets, Findings per Branch, Corrective Actions, Systemic RecommendationsEvent Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions
Tagsno overlap
UX researchTrackingBehavior
UX researchObservationContext
Root causeSafetySystemicIncident
CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline
Add more methods