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| Criterion |  UX Research Customer Journey Mapping |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 30–60 min | 1-2 h | 45–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 4-8 | 3-8 | 3-10 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Journey Map, Pain-point List, Opportunity Backlog | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas |
Tagsno overlap | JourneyServiceService design | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause |