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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  UX Research Card Sorting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. | When a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-2 Tage | 45-90 min | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | Based on research question | 3-10 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | Information architectureNavigationFindability | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | Information architectureNavigationStructure |