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| Criterion |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  Engineering Golden Path |  Architecture Request for Comments |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing. | When teams need a reliable default path for frequent use, sprawl quickly emerges without any guiding logic. Golden Path bundles the preferred path so good practice becomes easy and deviation becomes deliberate. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30–60 min | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 45–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-8 | 2-8 | 3-20 Reviewer | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause |