methodatlas
Compare

View methods side by side.

Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.

Criterion
Paper mind map with a central course onboarding question, colored main branches, keywords and cross-links.
Facilitation
Mind Mapping
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Paper illustration for Risk Storming.
Architecture
Risk Storming
Purposedifferent
When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early.ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification.Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLow
Timedifferent
15-45 min2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional60-90 min
Participantsdifferent
1-10Designers, developers as users, and facilitation4-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open QuestionsPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsAnnotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog
Tagsno overlap
BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation
Add more methods

Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of a calm four-quadrant Assumption Map with hypothesis cards and emphasis on important assumptions with little evidence.
Product Discovery
Assumption Mapping
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
A paper-based illustration representing Brainstorming with its core stages and visible working result.
Innovation
Brainstorming
Paper illustration of several people silently writing ideas and passing sheets around with arrows.
Innovation
Brainwriting