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Selected:Card SortingArchitecture Decision RecordFailure Mode and Effects AnalysisLASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 15-45 min | 2-6 h | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 1-3 | 3-10 | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checks |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean |