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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Delivery Communication Plan |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture Views and Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. | 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. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 45-90 min | 15-45 min | 1-3 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 2-6 | 1-3 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture |