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Criterion
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Paper illustration of a branching category tree with a highlighted search path and possible dead ends.
UX Research
Tree Testing
Architecture Inception Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Inception Canvas
Paper illustration showing three sorted card stacks and an open question about a possible group.
UX Research
Card Sorting
Purposedifferent
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.When a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination.The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails.When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowLow
Timedifferent
2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional1-2 Tage1-2 h20-45 min
Participantsdifferent
Designers, developers as users, and facilitationBased on research question3-8Based on research question
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsFindability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IAInception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open QuestionsContent groups, Label set, IA hypotheses
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
Information architectureNavigationFindability
AlignmentArchitectureCanvas
Information architectureNavigationStructure
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