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Criterion
Paper illustration for Soft Systems Methodology.
Systems Thinking
Soft Systems Methodology
Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
Purposedifferent
Soft Systems Methodology helps explore unclear or politically charged problems systematically. Instead of forcing a quick answer, the method builds a shared understanding of perspectives and room for action.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.A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early.
Complexitydifferent
HighLowLow
Timedifferent
0.5-3 Tage30–60 min per interview30-90 min
Participantsdifferent
5-151 participant per interview2-10
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change AgendaInterview Notes, Themes, Insight SummaryRich Picture, Problem Framing Notes
Tagsno overlap
Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
Paper illustration for Cynefin Workshop.
Decision Making
Cynefin Workshop
Paper illustration for Opportunity Interview
Product Discovery
Opportunity Interview