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Selected:Affinity DiagrammingArchitecture Decision RecordRisk StormingARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture Risk Storming |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 15-45 min | 60-90 min | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-3 | 4-12 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Annotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |