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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research User Interviews | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas | ![]() Facilitation Power Interest Grid | ![]() Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | When many stakeholders compete for attention at once, the Power Interest Grid sorts them by influence and stake. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as a Power Interest Grid and a stakeholder-specific strategy. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30–60 min per interview | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1 participant per interview | 3-10 | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Power Interest Grid, Strategy per Stakeholder | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | StakeholdersFacilitationAlignmentPlanning | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |



