Qualitative Comparison of Requirements Elicitation Techniques that are Used to Collect Feedback Information about Product Use

User-centric design requires the application of different techniques to elicit user requirements. Many of these techniques deduct requirements from feedback information concerning a product's actual use. Typical approaches are inquiry and observation of users. While most techniques collect subjective use information, novel techniques, such as product-embedded sensors, can retrieve objective data that can be further processed. The paper compares a selection of eight techniques used in requirements elicitation. The techniques are evaluated according to six qualitative criteria with a focus on the terms of information collection and the qualities of that information. The qualitative results are illustrated through net-diagrams that can be used to further argue on the techniques, especially in areas where requirements for individual users need to be elicited.