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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Domain Modeling Bounded Context Canvas |  Domain Modeling Context Map |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a business context is still loosely outlined, it shapes language, responsibility, and integration space. It clarifies what belongs together and where a boundary needs to hold. | When several contexts need to talk to each other, it makes their relationships and dependencies legible. It helps sort integration pressure and responsibilities across system boundaries. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-8 | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Context Canvas, Glossary, Integration Notes | Context Map, Integration Patterns, Boundary Notes | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | Domain-Driven DesignBoundariesModeling | Domain-Driven DesignBoundariesStrategy | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |