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| Criterion |  Product Discovery Context Canvas |  Architecture C4 Model |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When an environment of users, systems, and constraints is hard to grasp, it puts the context compactly on the table. It creates a clear reading of influence, boundary, and dependency. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-4 h | 1-3 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-5 | 4-12 Beobachtungen |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points |
Tagsno overlap | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | UX researchObservationContext |
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