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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Systems Mapping |  UX Research User Interviews |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins. | 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. | 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. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 30–60 min per interview | 45–90 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 1 participant per interview | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | System Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |