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Criterion
Paper illustration for Diary Study.
UX Research
Diary Study
Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix
Paper illustration for Root Cause Tree Analysis
Operations
Root Cause Tree Analysis
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off 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 several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic.For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie.With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects.
Complexitysame
MediumMediumMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-4 Wochen45-90 min1-3 h45-120 min
Participantsdifferent
5-202-82-82-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience TimelineDecision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected OptionCause Tree, Evidence Notes, CountermeasuresTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides
Tagsno overlap
UX researchTrackingBehavior
DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs
Root causeTreeIncidentQuality
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
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