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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  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. | In critical processes, it is not enough to plan only for the normal case. Failure Scenario Analysis looks at the path into failure and shows which failures, chains, and control gaps cause the most damage. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | 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 | 1-3 h | 20–45 min | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-8 | Small cross-functional group | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Failure Scenarios, Risk Notes, Control Gaps, Test and Response Actions | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | FailureResilienceRisk | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | Information architectureNavigationStructure |