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Selected:Affinity DiagrammingARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)DACIArchitecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Decision Making DACI |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | In cross-functional decisions, responsibilities quickly blur between approval, influence, and execution. DACI arranges these roles so decision pressure, contribution, and information stay cleanly separated. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 30-60 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 2-10 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | DACI Matrix, Decision Owner, Decision Log | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | DecisionRolesGovernanceAlignment | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |