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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 IBIS map with issues, positions and arguments
Knowledge Modeling
IBIS
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.IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus.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.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLow
Timedifferent
30–60 min per interview1-3 h45–90 min
Participantsdifferent
1 participant per interview2-83-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Interview Notes, Themes, Insight SummaryIssue Map, Positions, Argument NotesTheme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas
Tagsno overlap
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
RationaleKnowledgeDecision
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument Mapping
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping