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| Criterion |  UX Research Usability Testing |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Product Discovery Fake Door Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a product is built but people get stuck on tasks, usability testing shows the friction at concrete points. Observed use instead of self-report makes visible where orientation, understanding, or interaction breaks down. | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | When demand is still unclear, it measures interest in a feature before it is built. It separates real behavior from polite agreement and deliberately keeps build effort small. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h je Session | 45–90 min | 1-5 Tage | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-10 | Nutzertraffic | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Click Data, Interest Signal, Learning Decision |
Tagsno overlap | ValidationUXPrototype | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | ValidationExperimentsDemandDiscovery |