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| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  UX Research Card Sorting |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 15-45 min | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-3 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | Information architectureNavigationStructure |
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