User Journey Blueprint (UJB): uma técnica de Design Thinking para a especificação de cenários em projetos de desenvolvimento de software

Abstract

Requirements Engineering (RE) is one of the most critical phases in software develop ment since the other activities depend on it. The requirements’ specification is the basis for system implementation. The higher the quality of the requirements’ specification, the better the basis for developing the solution. Yet, requirements specification is among the most challenging tasks performed by a software engineer, and the imprecision in requirements specification is the cause of many RE problems. An alternative to help soft ware engineers and detail requirements is to build scenarios that model the interaction of users with the software system. We used different approaches for the identification of interaction design and application features. We used Design Thinking (DT) techniques in RE to collaborate in solving these difficulties, about the specification of user needs. It is noticeable that there is still a gap when it comes to methods that can assist in the detailed specification of software functionality. This paper presents the proposal of a technique for requirements specification in software development projects. The technique, called User Journey Blueprint (UJB), aims to promote the visualization of the system’s process structure by means of user interactions and thus collaborate in the con ception of the prototype design, providing the specialists with a visualization of possible interface design requirements and the detailing of the proposed system’s functionality. From Design Thinking (DT) techniques, User Journey Map, and Service Blueprint, through an experimentation-based method, with experimental studies carried out to check and evolve the proposed technique. The results show that the technique promotes the reflection of the professionals responsible for the requirement’s specification about the different alternatives of user interaction with the system. Using the UJB can provide experts with requirements specifications focused on both User Experience, interface design, and requirements related to system functionality and processes.