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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 fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
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 a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers.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.
Complexitysame
LowLowLow
Timedifferent
30–60 min per interview30-60 min45–90 min
Participantsdifferent
1 participant per interview2-83-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Interview Notes, Themes, Insight SummaryFishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation BacklogTheme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas
Tagsno overlap
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
Root causeQualityOperations
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Operations
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping