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| Criterion |  Architecture C4 Model |  UX Research User Interviews |  Product Discovery Test Card |  Product Discovery Fake Door Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 Test Card turns a critical assumption into a testable claim and specifies in advance which result counts as success. | When demand is still unclear, it measures interest in a feature before it is built. It separates real behavior from polite agreement and deliberately keeps build effort small. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 30–60 min per interview | 20-35 min | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 1 participant per interview | 1-5 | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Click Data, Interest Signal, Learning Decision |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | ValidationExperimentsDemandDiscovery |