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| Criterion |  UX Research Diary Study |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Product Discovery Opportunity Solution Tree |  UX Research Card Sorting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination. | When discovery keeps swinging between goals, ideas, and learning loops, it creates clear steering logic. It connects the desired outcome, opportunities, and experiments into a legible structure. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 Wochen | 1-2 Tage | 1-2 h Setup, laufend | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-20 | Based on research question | 2-6 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Opportunity Solution Tree, Experiment Backlog, Learning Log | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchTrackingBehavior | Information architectureNavigationFindability | DiscoveryOutcomesExperimentsOpportunity | Information architectureNavigationStructure |