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| Criterion |  UX Research Diary Study |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  UX Research Usability Testing |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 Wochen | 1-3 Wochen | 1-2 h je Session |
Participantsdifferent | 5-20 | 4-12 Beobachtungen | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchTrackingBehavior | UX researchObservationContext | ValidationUXPrototype |
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