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Criterion
Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
A paper-based illustration representing C4 Model with its core stages and visible working result.
Architecture
C4 Model
Purposedifferent
When teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible.When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer.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.
Complexitysame
LowLowLow
Timedifferent
30–60 min per interview45–90 min1-4 h
Participantsdifferent
1 participant per interview3-101-5
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Interview Notes, Themes, Insight SummaryTheme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areasContext Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram
Tagsno overlap
QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Architecture Communication Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Communication Canvas
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping