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| Criterion |  UX Research Diary Study |  UX Research Usability Testing |  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 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. | 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 | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 Wochen | 1-2 h je Session | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-20 | Based on research question | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchTrackingBehavior | ValidationUXPrototype | Information architectureNavigationStructure |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
