methodatlas
Compare

View methods side by side.

Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.

Criterion
Gap Analysis method illustration showing its working structure
Business Strategy
GAP Analysis
Paper illustration of two user profile cards with a goal, behavior evidence, and an open research question.
UX Research
Personas
Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
Purposedifferent
GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing.When target groups stay too vague and teams talk about the same people differently, personas create a shared, solid picture of usage. Condensed profiles make needs, contexts, and differences tangible enough for decisions.When teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowLow
Timedifferent
1-3 h1-3 Tage30–60 min per interview30–60 min
Participantsdifferent
2-8Internes Team1 participant per interview4-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk NotesPersona Profiles, Needs Summary, Scenario NotesInterview Notes, Themes, Insight SummaryEmpathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps
Tagsno overlap
StrategyAnalysisPlanning
ResearchCustomerSynthesis
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop
Add more methods