View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  UX Research Diary Study |  Delivery RAID Log |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | When experiences build up over days or weeks and a single session cannot capture them, Diary Study records the course of everyday life. Recurring triggers, moods, and habits become visible this way, beyond the sharpness of memory. | Helps clarify scope, sequence, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, boundaries, and order steerable. The result is captured as a RAID Log and a source for status reporting. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-4 Wochen | 30 min Setup, dann laufend |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 5-20 | 1-3 maintaining, briefing for everyone |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Diary Entries, Longitudinal Patterns, Experience Timeline | RAID Log, Status Report Source |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | UX researchTrackingBehavior | RiskTrackingStakeholdersGovernance |