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| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  UX Research Personas |  UX Research User Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | 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. | When target groups stay too vague and teams talk about the same people differently, personas create a shared, solid picture of usage. Condensed profiles make needs, contexts, and differences tangible enough for decisions. | When teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30–60 min | 1-3 Tage | 30–60 min per interview |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 4-8 | Internes Team | 1 participant per interview |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Persona Profiles, Needs Summary, Scenario Notes | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | ResearchCustomerSynthesis | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery |