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| Criterion |  UX Research Usability Testing |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Operations Change Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a product is built but people get stuck on tasks, usability testing shows the friction at concrete points. Observed use instead of self-report makes visible where orientation, understanding, or interaction breaks down. | 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. | 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. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h je Session | 20-45 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | Based on research question | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-6 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | 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 | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List |
Tagsno overlap | ValidationUXPrototype | Information architectureNavigationStructure | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison |