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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud | ![]() UX Research Contextual Inquiry | ![]() Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree | ![]() Systems Thinking Systems Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | 1-3 Wochen | 2-4 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 3-8 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | System Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | UX researchObservationContext | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange |



