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| Criterion |  UX Research Customer Journey Mapping |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Systems Thinking Systems Mapping |  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. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins. | 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 | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 2-4 h | 1-3 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 3-8 | 3-12 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Journey Map, Pain-point List, Opportunity Backlog | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | System Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points | Customer Journey Canvas, Pain Points, Experience Opportunities |
Tagsno overlap | JourneyServiceService design | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange | JourneyCustomerService designCanvas |