Course syllabus for Product requirements engineering

The aim of the course is that the student should develop knowledge on processes and methods for identifying, analysing and describing customers'/users' requirements for product functions and properties. The course intends to provide the student with opportunities to practice how to carry out a study in order to map customers'/users' needs and requirements for technical products.

• describe the different phases of a generic process for gathering and analysing customers'/users' needs and requirements;
• describe the fundamental principles for planning and executing a study of customers'/users' needs and requirements for a technical product/technical system;
• plan and carry through a so called "user study"; - choose, in a conscious way, between different methods for data collection and analysis. This means that the student should be able to:
• describe and explain similarities and differences between different question based and observation based methods respectively;
• explain which methods generate which type of information;
• describe some fundamental approaches to analysing quantitative and qualitative data
• provide relevant arguments for the choices made
• analyse information/data and on basis of the information/data be able to draw conclusions of relevance for product design;
• on basis of a problem analysis, formulate a specification of requirements, in customer/user terms, for a product/technical solution;
• communicate the execution as well as the results from the customer/user study to a mixed audience
• deal with ethical consideration when involving users in product development

The course will cover the following topics: - different perspectives in new product development; - the user centred product development process; - the theoretical bases for the mapping of needs and requirements; - the concept of need; - the accessibility of different types of requirements; - methods and methodologies for mapping customers'/users' needs and requirements; - mediating tools, product representations and their role in the dialogue between customer/user and product developer/designer; - analysis and representation of information for communication

The course is organised as lectures/seminars, literature studies and a project.

Course Compendium, accessible through the course web page

Examination is based on an individual written (short) exam and a project. The individual written exam will result in a grade Fail, or 3, 4, or 5. The project will result in a grade Fail, or 3, 4, or 5. The final grade is based on the result of the individual exam and the result of the project.