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Selected:Usability TestingRequest for CommentsC4 ModelARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
| Criterion |  UX Research Usability Testing |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Architecture C4 Model |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | 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 | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h je Session | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 1-4 h | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | Based on research question | 3-20 Reviewer | 1-5 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Usability Issues, Severity List, Recommendations | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | ValidationUXPrototype | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |