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Selected:Card SortingSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Power Interest GridAlignment Mapping
| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Facilitation Power Interest Grid |  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. | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | When many stakeholders compete for attention at once, the Power Interest Grid sorts them by influence and stake. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as a Power Interest Grid and a stakeholder-specific strategy. | 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 | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Power Interest Grid, Strategy per Stakeholder | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | StakeholdersFacilitationAlignmentPlanning | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |