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| Criterion |  Product Discovery Context Canvas |  Innovation How Might We |  Architecture C4 Model |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction. | 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. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30–45 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-10 | 1-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram |
Tagsno overlap | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization |
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