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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Decision Making Constraint 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. | 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 an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | 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 | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 20–45 min | 30-90 min | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Small cross-functional group | 2-8 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | Information architectureNavigationStructure |