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Criterion
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
Paper illustration of the Lightning Decision Jam working structure.
Facilitation
Decision Jam
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
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 a decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer.When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another.When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMediumLow
Timedifferent
30–60 min60-90 min1-4 h45–90 min
Participantsdifferent
4-84-103-83-10
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research GapsProblem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, ExperimentProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action PlanTheme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas
Tagsno overlap
SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop
FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
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