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| Criterion |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  UX Research Customer Journey Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | 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. | When a user journey falls apart across many touchpoints, customer journey mapping makes the experience visible as a coherent arc. Phases, emotions, and breaks become legible enough to prioritize critical moments deliberately. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | 45–90 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-10 | 4-10 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Journey Map, Pain-point List, Opportunity Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeQualityOperations | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | JourneyServiceService design |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
