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| Criterion | ![]() Product Discovery Opportunity Interview | ![]() UX Research Affinity Diagramming | ![]() UX Research Empathy Mapping | ![]() UX Research User Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When opportunities are still hidden behind signals of need, it structures conversations around needs and obstacles. It looks for patterns that lead to new product opportunities. | 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 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 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min je Interview | 45–90 min | 30–60 min | 30–60 min per interview |
Participantsdifferent | 5-12 Interviews | 3-10 | 4-8 | 1 participant per interview |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Interview Notes, Opportunity Themes, Customer Quotes | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary |
Tagsno overlap | DiscoveryInterviewsOpportunityCustomer | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery |



