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| Criterion |  UX Research Usability Testing |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Growth A/B Testing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing. | 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 two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h je Session | 30–60 min | 1-5 Tage | 1-4 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 4-8 | Nutzertraffic | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary |
Tagsno overlap | ValidationUXPrototype | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation |