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| Criterion |  UX Research Tree Testing |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Decision Making Decision Rights Mapping |  UX Research Card Sorting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 90-180 min | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-20 Reviewer | 4-12 | Based on research question |
Formatdifferent | Async | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Findability Metrics, Path Analysis, Revised IA | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | Information architectureNavigationFindability | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility | Information architectureNavigationStructure |