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| Criterion |  Innovation How Might We |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30–45 min | 45-90 min | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 3-10 | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions |
Tagsno overlap | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas |