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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Growth A/B Testing |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | When two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. | 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. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-4 Wochen | 15-45 min | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 1-6 | 1-3 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |