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Selected:Tree TestingArchitecture Decision RecordGolden PathARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Engineering Golden Path |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a navigation exists but search paths still fail, tree testing checks findability without visual distraction. The method shows whether labels, levels, and paths really lead to the intended destination. | 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 teams need a reliable default path for frequent use, sprawl quickly emerges without any guiding logic. Golden Path bundles the preferred path so good practice becomes easy and deviation becomes deliberate. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 15-45 min | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 1-3 | 2-8 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatdifferent | Async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |