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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Product Discovery Test Card |  Product Discovery Hypothesis Prioritization Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | 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. | The Test Card turns a critical assumption into a testable claim and specifies in advance which result counts as success. | When many hypotheses compete for attention, it brings order to their learning sequence and importance. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a prioritization canvas and a hypothesis backlog. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30–60 min | 20-35 min | 60-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 4-8 | 1-5 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Prioritization Canvas, Hypothesis Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | ExperimentsPrioritizationDiscoveryHypothesis |