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Criterion
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration of two user profile cards with a goal, behavior evidence, and an open research question.
UX Research
Personas
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
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 target groups stay too vague and teams talk about the same people differently, personas create a shared, solid picture of usage. Condensed profiles make needs, contexts, and differences tangible enough for decisions.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.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLow
Timedifferent
15-45 min1-3 Tage30–60 min
Participantsdifferent
1-3Internes Team4-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationalePersona Profiles, Needs Summary, Scenario NotesEmpathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
ResearchCustomerSynthesis
SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Quality Attribute Workshop workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Architecture
Quality Attribute Workshop