View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Innovation Lean Startup |  Product Discovery Pretotyping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions. | 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. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | Pretotyping clarifies whether a customer problem and solution idea create enough real demand. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence, and captures the result as a pretotyping sketch, test setup, and conversion data. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 1-5 Tage | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | Stunden bis wenige Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | Nutzertraffic | 2-8 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | Pretotyping sketch, Test setup, Conversion data, Go or no-go decision |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | LeanStartupValidationMVP | ValidationDemandMVP |