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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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 a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 2-6 h | 1-4 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-10 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeQualityOperations |