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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  UX Research User Interviews |  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 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. | 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 per interview | 20-35 min | 60-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 1 participant per interview | 1-5 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Prioritization Canvas, Hypothesis Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | ExperimentsPrioritizationDiscoveryHypothesis |