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| Criterion |  Innovation How Might We |  Architecture Quality Attribute Workshop |  Architecture C4 Model |  Innovation Brainstorming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | A Quality Attribute Workshop translates quality requirements into concrete scenarios and architecture impulses. The method brings product, engineering, and operations to the same view of desired properties. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30–45 min | 2-4 h | 1-4 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 5-15 | 1-5 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | Quality Scenarios, Priority List, Architecture Concerns | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | RequirementsArchitectureWorkshop | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence |