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| Criterion |  UX Research Usability Testing |  UX Research User Interviews |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  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 teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible. | 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. | 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 | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h je Session | 30–60 min per interview | 45–90 min | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 1 participant per interview | 3-10 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings |
Tagsno overlap | ValidationUXPrototype | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | InnovationPrototypeResearch |