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Criterion
Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
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.Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it.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.
Complexitysame
LowLowLow
Timedifferent
30–60 min per interview45-90 min30–60 min
Participantsdifferent
1 participant per interview2-84-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Interview Notes, Themes, Insight SummaryAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning PlanEmpathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps
Tagsno overlap
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Paper illustration of a calm four-quadrant Assumption Map with hypothesis cards and emphasis on important assumptions with little evidence.
Product Discovery
Assumption Mapping
Paper illustration of the Lightning Decision Jam working structure.
Facilitation
Decision Jam