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Criterion
Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Paper illustration for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
Purposedifferent
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 a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together.For a disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMediumHigh
Timedifferent
30–60 min per interview45–90 min45-90 min2-8 h
Participantsdifferent
1 participant per interview3-102-52-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Interview Notes, Themes, Insight SummaryTheme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areasA3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause AnalysisProblem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan
Tagsno overlap
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations
Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations
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