A formal representation of the relationships between concepts in a domain. Goes beyond taxonomy to define how categories relate to each other.
Definition: A formal representation of the relationships between concepts in a domain. Goes beyond taxonomy to define how categories relate to each other.
An ontology is a structured framework that defines not just categories (like a taxonomy) but also the relationships between those categories.
| Aspect | Taxonomy | Ontology |
|---|---|---|
| Defines | Categories and hierarchy | Categories, hierarchy, and relationships |
| Question answered | "What type of thing is this?" | "How does this relate to other things?" |
| Complexity | Simpler | More complex |
| Example | "This is a Usability Issue" | "This Usability Issue affects Checkout, which impacts Conversion" |
An ontology allows you to:
Taxonomy only:
With ontology:
LLMs are effective at identifying relationships between concepts at different levels of abstraction. When building research repositories, ontologies help connect concrete user problems to strategic business themes.
A classification system that organizes concepts into categories. In research, a predefined set of tags or codes used to systematically categorize qualitative data.
Research focused on understanding the 'what' and 'why' through rich stories, observations, and context. Seeks depth of understanding rather than statistical measurement.
This term is referenced in the following articles: