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| Criterion |  Facilitation Timeline |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a project, incident, or change process is only remembered in fragments, Timeline brings the sequence back into a readable form. It makes turning points, precursors, and after-effects recognizable over the course of time. | 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. | For a disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations. | 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 | Low | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 30–60 min | 2-8 h | 45–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 4-8 | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Timeline, Milestones, Insight Notes | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas |
Tagsno overlap | TimelineFacilitationSequence | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause |