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Selected:Card SortingARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)Architecture Decision RecordRequest for Comments
Criterion
Paper illustration showing three sorted card stacks and an open question about a possible group.
UX Research
Card Sorting
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
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.ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification.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.An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
20-45 min2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional15-45 min1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung
Participantsdifferent
Based on research questionDesigners, developers as users, and facilitation1-33-20 Reviewer
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncAsyncAsync
Outputdifferent
Content groups, Label set, IA hypothesesPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsADR File, Decision Log, RationaleRFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets
Tagsno overlap
Information architectureNavigationStructure
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance
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