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Selected:Card SortingATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)RAID LogFailure Mode and Effects Analysis
| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Card Sorting | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Delivery RAID Log | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | Helps clarify scope, sequence, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, boundaries, and order steerable. The result is captured as a RAID Log and a source for status reporting. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30 min Setup, dann laufend | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-3 maintaining, briefing for everyone | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | RAID Log, Status Report Source | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskTrackingStakeholdersGovernance | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |



