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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Polarity Mapping | ![]() Product Discovery Assumption Mapping | ![]() Product Discovery Smoke Test | ![]() Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Polarity Mapping makes tensions between two opposing poles tangible, such as standardization and adaptation or control and autonomy. The method guards against making apparent either-or decisions prematurely. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-60 min | 1-5 Tage | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-8 | Nutzertraffic | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |



