Requirements specifications

We identify the needs of all the interest groups regarding a product. We take into account both the commercial and end-user perspective. We employ workshops, interviews, observation, surveys and conceptual prototypes as needed. The end result is a listing of the requirements, typically accompanied by a conceptual prototype of the product.

Benefits

Requirements specifications communicate the purpose and target users of the product or service. They act as starting points and tasks for the different parties in the design process. Therefore, it is advisable to produce requirements specifications for all projects. The amount of resources and the methodology used in the specification process should however be tailored for each project.

Our approach to requirements specifications

• ensures that the product is suitable for the end users and fulfils its goals also from a business perspective
• reduces the risks in product development and the time needed for iteration
• facilitates focusing on what is important, thus keeping costs in check.

Methodology

To produce concise and useful requirements specifications, we do the following:

• Only include important, high-level requirements.
• Quickly produce conceptual prototypes of the product. We present the prototypes to the different parties of the project and iterate them in short cycles. The prototypes show the requirements in a concrete fashion to the different parties, and everybody gets a clear picture of the goals of the project.

Making prototypes to support the requirements specifications makes possible an efficient process and a quality outcome. All project parties can provide feedback and speak the same language.

Results

As a result, you will get

• a requirements specifications document that includes descriptions of the product’s end users and high-level requirements
• a conceptual prototype that coarsely describes the most important functionality and the content structure of the product.