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| Criterion |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  UX Research User Interviews |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | 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 assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 30–60 min per interview | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-8 | 1 participant per interview | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |