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| Criterion |  Engineering Golden Path |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 15-45 min | 45–90 min | 30–60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-3 | 3-10 | 4-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop |