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| Criterion |  UX Research Usability Testing |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Innovation Design Sprint |  Innovation Design Thinking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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 the product question is unclear and time pressure is high, the method takes a team from an open idea to a testable solution. It connects problem understanding, decision, and learning in one compact format, lowering the risk of spending a lot of energy on a mere guess. | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h je Session | 1-5 Tage | 4-5 Tage | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Nutzertraffic | 5-8 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings |
Tagsno overlap | ValidationUXPrototype | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation | InnovationPrototypeResearch |