User Requirements Gathering

What Are User Requirements?

"User requirements" are enhancements to the core functionality of a product that are specifically aimed at enabling users to be more effective, productive, comfortable, and satisfied while minimizing training and learning time. With these goals in mind, an analysis of users, product requirements, and competitor products is used to determine additional functionality that will help users with their jobs and tasks.

The User Requirement Gathering Process

Cognitive task analysis, defined as A family of tools and methods for obtaining knowledge that organizes and gives meaning to behavior and decisions,  is used to study users and their tasks in order to develop user requirements. For example, a requirement may be to provide a cellular phone with an address book. After an analysis of target users, it is determined that a variety of ways to access the address book are needed in order to make phone calls efficiently. Incorporating this functionality will increase user performance and satisfaction.

In order to determine how users will interact with a product, the human factors analyst may use multiple cognitive task analysis techniques, such as:

• User profiles.
• User observations.
• Think-aloud protocol analysis, defined as A method of studying users' thought processes while they complete tasks.
• Interviews and focus groups.
• Link analysis, defined as A method of studying and analyzing users' overt behavior as they physically interact with a device.
• Any other number of cognitive task analysis techniques that would be appropriate for discovering user needs.

Following data analysis and interpretation, recommendations are made to design teams with a detailed list of requirements. In addition, user interface designs can be provided.