What is translating into specific requirements?
The value map itself is not yet concrete enough to use for the actual design of the eHealth technology. Therefore, values are translated into specific requirements for the new technology. A broad categorization of possible types of requirements is:
- Content requirements. They state what information the technology should present to the user, e.g. information on the symptoms of a minor depressive disorder.
- Usability and user experience requirements. These requirements concern the user perspective and specify the interface and interaction design of the technology. Think of requirements on the size of symbols and the clarity of the navigation.
- Functional and modality requirements. These requirements specify technical features and prescribe the kind of technology and operating systems. They are mainly focused on the programmer’s point-of-view. These might be requirements that state that an eHealth intervention should run on both Apple and Android systems.
- Service requirements. These requirements state the best way to organize the services that support the technology. They are mainly relevant for managers who make decisions on matters like marketing or user support. This might refer to issues such as a 24-hour helpdesk in case of problems with a technology.
- Organizational requirements. These requirements concern the integration of the technology into the organizational structure and working routines. Again, they are mainly aimed at managers. An example is requirements on scheduling time in nurses’ schedules to answer questions in an eHealth intervention.
What is the aim of translating into specific requirements?
The elicitation of requirements is part of the value specification since requirements state what is required of the technology for it to achieve the added value [1].
References
[1] Van Velsen, L., Wentzel, J., & Van Gemert-Pijnen, J. E. (2013). Designing eHealth that matters via a multidisciplinary requirements development approach. JMIR Research Protocols, 2(1):e21.