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Selected:SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)User InterviewsEmpathy MappingAffinity Diagramming
| Criterion |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  UX Research User Interviews |  UX Research Empathy Mapping |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | 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 research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30–60 min per interview | 30–60 min | 45–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 1 participant per interview | 4-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
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 | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Empathy Map, Assumptions List, Research Gaps | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause |