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| Criterion |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing. | 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. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30–60 min | 20-45 min | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 4-8 | Based on research question | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
