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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Operations Change Analysis |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  UX Research Card Sorting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 45-120 min | 30-60 min | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-6 | 2-8 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | Root causeQualityOperations | Information architectureNavigationStructure |