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| Criterion |  Engineering Golden Path |  UX Research Tree Testing |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 1-2 Tage | 20-45 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Based on research question | Based on research question | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | Information architectureNavigationFindability | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |