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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Diary Study | ![]() UX Research HEART Framework | ![]() Operations Causal Factor Analysis | ![]() Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 Wochen | 120 min initial, dann laufend | 2-6 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-20 | 3-6 | 3-10 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | HEART-GSM Table, Dashboard | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchTrackingBehavior | MetricsUX researchMeasurementSatisfaction | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |



