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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Facilitation Decision Jam |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | 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 a decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer. | 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 | 1-4 h | 30–60 min | 60-90 min | 45–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 4-8 | 4-10 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, Experiment | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause |