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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Product Discovery Test Card |  Product Discovery Fake Door Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. | The Test Card turns a critical assumption into a testable claim and specifies in advance which result counts as success. | When demand is still unclear, it measures interest in a feature before it is built. It separates real behavior from polite agreement and deliberately keeps build effort small. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 20-45 min | 20-35 min | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Based on research question | 1-5 | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Click Data, Interest Signal, Learning Decision |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | ValidationExperimentsDemandDiscovery |