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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  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. | 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. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | 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 | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 30-60 min | 2-6 h | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-8 | 3-10 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | Root causeQualityOperations | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Information architectureNavigationStructure |