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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Engineering Golden Path |  Operations Getting Things Done |  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 teams need a reliable default path for frequent use, sprawl quickly emerges without any guiding logic. Golden Path bundles the preferred path so good practice becomes easy and deviation becomes deliberate. | With many open commitments and ideas in daily life, a reliable external storage system emerges. The method relieves the mind so priority and context don't have to compete in memory. | 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 | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 1-2 h Setup, laufend | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-8 | 1 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | Action Lists, Project List, Review Routine | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | ProductivityPlanningTasksExecution | Information architectureNavigationStructure |