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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Architecture arc42 |  Growth A/B Testing |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | When two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 1-2 Tage | 1-4 Wochen | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 1-4 | 1-6 | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth |