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| Criterion |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Operations Change 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. | 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 a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-2 Tage | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | Based on research question | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
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 | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | Information architectureNavigationFindability | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison |