View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  Architecture C4 Model |  UX Research User Interviews |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 30–60 min per interview | 45-90 min | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 1 participant per interview | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |