Dear Jennifer,

 

Basically, I have two comments that apply across the entire User Needs Summary, as follows:

 

1) I think the needs must be stated as specifically as possible, but they must be stated as needs and not specific design solutions, as there may be more than one way to address a specific need.  For example, "Some need to have all static information provided via speech output" does not state the real need, and it includes a specific solution - and not the only one.  What is the real need? That some users require static information to be presented via non-visual means?  If so, then that's what needs to be stated.  It is up to the designer to determine how to meet the need.  Thus, "via speech output" shouldn't be included as part of the need statement.  This same reasoning should be applied throughout the document.

In short, don't mix needs and design solutions in a need statement.  (Unfortunately, Guide 71 is guilty of the same problem, and it is a problem.)

 

2) Statements shouldn't start with "Some need" unless they really only apply to some users.  Statements like "Some need to avoid glare" and "Some need sufficient volume for audio output" simply don't qualify as needs of some users,  unless a person is totally without vision in the first case, or totally deaf in the second.  Otherwise, glare is a bad thing; we ALL need to avoid it. Similarly, with respect to "Some need sufficient volume for audio output," except for persons who are totally deaf, ALL of us need sufficient volume for audio output.

 

Those are my biggest concerns, but they're global concerns that impact the entire document.  If this document is truly intended to be a user needs document, and not a design requirements document, then it must constrain the statements accordingly.  A requirements document would be a totally different animal, and would be specific to a product category or class. 

 

Daryle Gardner-Bonneau, Ph.D.