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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Customer Journey Mapping | ![]() UX Research Empathy Mapping | ![]() UX Research Affinity Diagramming | ![]() UX Design Customer Journey Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | 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 journey needs to be understood across several phases, it arranges experience, touchpoints, and opportunities into one picture. It makes gaps and friction along the user path clear. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 30–60 min | 45–90 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 4-8 | 3-10 | 3-10 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Journey Map, Pain-point List, Opportunity Backlog | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Customer Journey Canvas, Pain Points, Experience Opportunities |
Tagsno overlap | JourneyServiceService design | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | JourneyCustomerService designCanvas |



