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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() UX Research User Interviews | ![]() Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas | ![]() Delivery Communication Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | 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 Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 30–60 min per interview | 60-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 1 participant per interview | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning |



