Incorporating Model-Based User Requirements in Product Development

System complexities continue to expand in the unfolding technology revolution, as does the array of user needs, interactions and quality concerns. Human-centered aspects are increasingly missed during product development, leading to poorly designed products and rework. Modern requirement methods are evolving in response to these trends and to improve the user experience of new products. This thesis proposes a method for the early incorporation of User Requirements (URs) into the engineering development process. It attempts to synergistically harness the benefits of human-centered design, requirements engineering, and modeling. The framework leverages work from ISO standards, along with a focus on pragmatic application and best practices in model-based systems engineering. Its ultimate intention is to provide an effective means to capture and meet user needs during the development of an interactive system. Research on the proposed method was performed within a major automotive company. Towards understanding the impressions of URs in practice, a survey was distributed to 59 engineers at the organization on their impressions of the proposed URs approach. In parallel, URs were incorporated into three advanced technology projects at during a mid-cycle design iteration, followed by a study of the subsequent changes made to the system requirements and test plans in response to the inclusion of URs. The survey results revealed the UR proposal was well received, with an overall 96% reporting favorable expectations for a system development project. The case studies supported these results by revealing a direct impact to design functionalities, quality aspects, and validation activities. System requirements increased by 15%, and validation attributes by 38%.Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)Industrial & Systems Engineering, College of Engineering & Computer ScienceUniversity of Michigan-Dearbornhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167357/1/Luke Niewiadomski Final Thesis.pd