Cooperation in understanding user needs and requirements

Abstract The success of any product will depend upon how acceptable the product is to its target users, to potential buyers, and to others who are affected by its introduction and use. However, understanding the needs of these various groups of people is not trivial. It requires representatives of the various groups to contribute their knowledge and experience, and for them to develop a shared understanding of what is needed. It is argued here that if these representative groups develop a shared understanding early in the life of the product, that is, at the requirements stage, then the final product is much more likely to be accepted and more likely to meet their needs. A method of involving the representative ‘stakeholders’ is described in this paper. The method is in two parts, the first part focuses on the needs of the target users; the second part focuses on the needs of the various stakeholders associated with the product. The overall outcome of the method is a shared understanding of what is needed and a description of the requirements for a product which will meet the needs of the various groups of stakeholders. The first part of the method is described in some detail and a case study associated with the requirements for a computer aided design system is presented.