Showing papers on "User story published in 2013"

Observing the User Experience: A Practitioner's Guide to User Research (Second Edition)

Abstract: As a whole, this book delivers what it sets out to deliver: a solid, comprehensive guide for practitioners of user research. The second edition has responded to the rapid pace of contemporary business by thoroughly revising chapters and adding new ones that reflect best practices in recent user research. In addition, the book comes with a website that extends the text's offerings to include reference materials, additional best practices and tools for user research, and items such as user consent forms and checklists. Quite possibly, this text and accompanying website might not be all that attractive to the specialist who has conducted years of advanced study into the user experience. To be fair, though, the authors of Observing the User Experience did not set out to write a manual for specialists. Their goal was to create a guide for those who are relatively new to user research or who find that their positions now require knowledge of user research. For this audience, Goodman, Kuniavsky, and Moed's book succeeds, and fulfilling the authors' prediction, these readers will likely pull this book from the shelf when they must observe the user experience.

Efficient measurement of the user experience of interactive products. How to use the user experience questionnaire (UEQ). Example: Spanish language version

Abstract: Developer, manager and user feedback is needed to optimize products. Besides the basic Software qualities � usability and user experience are important properties for improving your product. Usability is well known and can be tested with e.g. a usability test or an expert review. In contrast user experience describes the whole impact a product has on the end-user. The timeline goes from before, while and after the use of a product. We present a tool that allows you to evaluate the user experience of a product with little effort. Furthermore the tool is available in different languages and we are using the new Spanish Version. We show how this tool can be used for a continuous user experience assessment.

Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics

Abstract: A new wave of products is helping people change their behavior and daily routines, whether it's exercising more (Jawbone Up), taking control of their finances (HelloWallet), or organizing their email (Mailbox). This practical guide shows you how to design these types of products for users seeking to take action and achieve specific goals. Stephen Wendel, HelloWallet's head researcher, takes you step-by-step through the process of applying behavioral economics and psychology to the practical problems of product design and development. Using a combination of lean and agile development methods, you'll learn a simple iterative approach for identifying target users and behaviors, building the product, and gauging its effectiveness. Discover how to create easy-to-use products to help people make positive changes. Learn the three main strategies to help people change behavior Identify your target audience and the behaviors they seek to change Extract user stories and identify obstacles to behavior change Develop effective interface designs that are enjoyable to use Measure your product's impact and learn ways to improve it Use practical examples from products like Nest, Fitbit, and Opower

Visual Analytics for Model Selection in Time Series Analysis

Abstract: Model selection in time series analysis is a challenging task for domain experts in many application areas such as epidemiology, economy, or environmental sciences. The methodology used for this task demands a close combination of human judgement and automated computation. However, statistical software tools do not adequately support this combination through interactive visual interfaces. We propose a Visual Analytics process to guide domain experts in this task. For this purpose, we developed the TiMoVA prototype that implements this process based on user stories and iterative expert feedback on user experience. The prototype was evaluated by usage scenarios with an example dataset from epidemiology and interviews with two external domain experts in statistics. The insights from the experts' feedback and the usage scenarios show that TiMoVA is able to support domain experts in model selection tasks through interactive visual interfaces with short feedback cycles.

Using human factors standards to support user experience and agile design

Abstract: The ISO 9241-210 standard provides a framework for human-centred design (HCD) activities comprising the four stages: context of use, specification of user and organisational requirements, design solutions, and evaluation against requirements. Other parts of the 9241 standard cover user interface design and usability. This paper uses the HCD framework to emphasise user experience (UX) design and methods used to help create good user experiences. It also relates the framework to an agile software development environment. It is concluded that the flexible and iterative nature of ISO 9241-210 makes it a good basis for both user experience design and an agile development process.

The Benefits and Challenges of Collaborating with User Communities

Abstract: OVERVIEW:User communities are potentially rich sources of new product ideas and innovations. However, accessing these communities brings significant challenges, including how to identify users, how to engage with them, how to integrate user innovations into corporate process, and how to manage intellectual property and other aspects of the relationship. The LEGO Group's experience engaging with user innovators, explored in a longitudinal study of the firm's interactions with independent and corporate-sponsored user communities, illustrates both the challenges and the rewards of collaborating with user communities.

Application of agile methods in the innovation process

Abstract: The main objective of this study was to analyse the applicability of agile methods for improving the efficiency of the innovation process. The study was conducted by analysing both innovation and software development processes, their similarities and differences, and as well as comparing the criticism against them. As a result of the study, it was found that agile methods provide several improvements regarding to organisational practices, transfer of knowledge and know-how, and understanding of customer needs that could be applied to the innovation process. In addition, this study provides several agile guidelines to managers and project team members for improving the innovation process. These are, e.g., the usage of light user stories as a solution for the heavy documentation, giving up fixed implementations plans for enhancing an incremental product development process, the usage of, e.g., war rooms to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and know-how, and the integration of the fuzzy front end to the w...

User stories don't help users: introducing persona stories

Abstract: User stories are one of the most popular alternatives to traditional user requirement specifications (see Figure 1). But despite their promising name, user stories are not about – and don’t necessarily help – users at all. In most cases, user stories are written about roles that users adopt and take no account of the needs and behaviours of real users. Were that not indictment enough, user stories suffer from demonstrable flaws in structure and are often written by the wrong people at the wrong time.

Integration of a software content space with test planning and test case generation

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for test planning and test case generation, includes collecting, by a processor, a plurality of requirements, creating, by the processor, a plurality of content space specification files that includes the plurality of requirements, processing, by the processor, the plurality of content space specification files to generate a plurality of user stories, outputting, by the processor, the plurality of user stories and integrating, by the processor, the user stories into test planning and test case generation.

Improving the User Story Agile Technique Using the INVEST Criteria

Abstract: Although the Agile Software Development (ADS) approach has been around for the last 15 years, it is only recently that attention has moved towards Agile Software Management (ASM) for tackling some of the management-related weaknesses, such as estimating on the basis of User Story points. This paper presents an application of the INVEST criteria (Independent - Negotiable - Valuable - Estimable - Small -Testable) for improving the measurement technique of User Stories, introducing sizing units and a technique to negotiate requirements. It includes a discussion on an approach to balancing the six criteria used to evaluate a set of User Stories in a Sprint.

How user experience is understood

Abstract: There have been many attempts to understand the phenomenon of user experience (UX), but a widely accepted theory is still missing. In this paper we present the results of our investigations on the practical and multidimensional side of user experience. We have studied how professional designers and novices with different backgrounds understand user experience. According to our findings there are three important user experience components: user, product and company. User is perceived to be in the center of user experience among professionals. The importance of user's feelings as part of a holistic user experience is emphasized. For novice designers experiences concerning the use of a product are more important than user's feelings. Technical solutions provided by a company, cultural matters and customer feedback are factors to be considered when targeting a holistic user experience.

Being Agile: Your Roadmap to Successful Adoption of Agile

Abstract: Being Agileis your roadmap to successfully transforming your organization to an Agile culture. Veteran agile coach Mario Moreira teaches new adopters how to implement a robust Agile framework to derive from it the maximum business benefit in terms of customer value, revenue, and employee engagement. Agile is a ubiquitous watchword in the corporate world, but only a minority of companies understand and practice what they pay lip service to. Too many content themselves with half-baked approximations such as Fragile (fragile Agile), ScrumBut (Scrum but not the practices), and Scrum Fall (mini-waterfalls in the sprints). Moreira shows maturing early adopters how to bridge the chasm between going through the motions of doing Agile and genuinelybeing Agile. After a high-level synopsis of Agiles values and principles, methodologies (including Scrum, Kanban, DSDM, Leam, VFQ, and XP), and roles, Moreira plunges into the nitty-gritty of how to apply the ready, implement, coach, and hone (RICH) deployment model to all phases of a project in such a way as to embody and inculcate agile values and principles at the team level and promote agile transformation across your organization's culture. What youll learnAgile professionals, project managers, and middle, senior, and executive management in software engineering and development divisions and enterprises who read this book will learn how to: Evaluate team candidates for traits, skills, behavior, and attitudes diagnostic of an Agile mindset Set up Agile planning tools and framework Map stakeholder engagement Validate ongoing application of Agile best practices Adapt Scrum teams and techniques for various needs and conditions Who this book is for The primary readership for this book comprises Agile professionals, product managers, and middle, senior, and executive management in software engineering and development divisions and enterprises. The secondary readership includes business analysts agile and software configuration managers. Table of Contents Getting Started Crossing the Agile Chasm Business Benefits of Being Agile Importance of Customer Engagement Importance of Employee Engagement Foundations of Agile Ready, Implement, Coach, Hone (RICH) Deployment Framework Motivations for Moving to an Agile Culture Achieving an Agile Mindset Evaluating Executive Support and Team Willingness Treating Agile as a Transformation Project Adapting to Agile Roles and Responsibilities Evaluating Agile, Engineering, and Team Capability Establishing Agile Measures of Success Constructing a Scalable Agile Framework Establishing an Agile Education Program Creating a Customer Validation Vision Writing User Stories and Grooming the Backlog Working with Story Points, Velocity, and Burndowns Constructing Done Criteria to Promote Quality Considering Agile Tools within an ALM Framework Implementing, Coaching, and Honing Activities Adapting Governance and Performance Reviews Three Case Studies in Adopting Agile

User stories template for object-oriented applications

Abstract: User stories present the mean of communication between customer and development team in agile methods; this paper provides a new user stories voice aimed to ease and automate analysis of objects and their action from the user story using OOADARE (Object-oriented Analysis and Design Approach for the Requirements Engineering) approach [1]. OOADARE approach was also missing a communication mean with the customer; user stories with the new template will do the job.

Using i* Models to Enrich User Stories

Abstract: In agile methods the user stories are widely used to describe require- ments However, the user stories are an artifact too narrow to represent and de- tail the requirements Issues like software context and dependencies between stories are also limited with the use of only this artifact The lack of documenta- tion in agile development environment is identified as one of the main chal- lenges of the methodology This work proposes the use of i* model that aims to reduce this lack of existing documentation in agile methods We propose a set of heuristics to perform the mapping of the requirements presented as user sto- ries in i* models The i* models are used as a form of documentation in agile environment, thus the user stories can be viewed more broadly and with their proper relationships according to the business environment that they will meet

Integration and user story generation and requirements management

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for managing user story requirements includes collecting, by a processor, a plurality of requirements, creating, by the processor, a plurality of content space specification files that includes the plurality of requirements, processing, by the processor, the plurality of content space specification files to generate a plurality of content space-based testable units, and managing, by the processor, the plurality of requirements to reduce gaps and overlap between individual content space testable units in the plurality of content space-based testable units.

Exploring Requirements Clarification in Online Communication Over Time

Abstract: —This demo introduces V:I SSUE : LIZER , a tool forexploring online communication and analyzing clarication ofrequirements over time. V:I SSUE : LIZER supports managers anddevelopers to identify requirements with insufcient sharedunderstanding, to analyze communication problems, and toidentify developers that are knowledgeable about domain orproject related issues through visualizations. Our preliminaryevaluation shows that V:I SSUE : LIZER offers managers valuableinformation for their decision making. (Demo video: http://youtu.be/Oy3xvzjy3BQ).Index Terms —requirements clarication patterns; distributedrequirements engineering; communication of requirements I. I NTRODUCTION Large software projects often require collaboration acrossgeographically distributed sites and depend on online com-munication to perform activities related to clarifying require-ments. More frequently, teams are employing agile approachesthat aim to discover requirements iteratively and rely on fre-quent communication instead of requirements documentation.In such approaches, requirements are dened in the formof user stories, and ongoing discussions around these userstories serve as the main mechanism to clarify the meaningof requirements and to coordinate their implementation [1].Recording such discussions and decisions in online projectrepositories is an emerging best practice, not only in largeand distributed projects [2]. IBM

Executable Specifications with Scrum: A Practical Guide to Agile Requirements Discovery

Abstract: Most books about specifications still assume that requirements can be known up front and wont change much during your project. In todays real world, however, you must specify and build software in the face of high and continuing uncertainty. Scrum and other agile methods have evolved to reflect this reality. Now, theres a complete guide to specifying software in agile environments when prerequisites are unclear, requirements are difficult to grasp, and anything about your project could change. Long-time agile coach and enterprise architect Mario Cardinal shows how to create executable specifications and use them to test software behavior against requirements. Cardinal shows how to trawl requirements incrementally, step-by-step, using a vision-centric and emergent iterative practice that is designed for agility. Writing for analysts, architects, developers, and managers, Cardinal makes a strong case for the iterative discovery of requirements. Then, he moves from theory to practice, fully explaining the technical mechanisms and empirical techniques you need to gain full value from executable specifications. Youll learn to connect specifications with software under construction, link requirements to architecture, and automate requirements verification within the Scrum framework. Above all, Cardinal will help you solve the paramount challenge of software development: not only to solve the problem right, but also to solve the right problem. You will learn how to Establish more effective agile roles for analysts and architects Integrate and simplify the best techniques from FIT, ATDD, and BDD Identify core certainties on which your project team should rely to ensure requirements discovery Manage uncertainty by discovering stakeholder desires through short feedback loops Specify as you go while writing small chunks of requirements Use storyboarding and paper prototyping to improve conversations with stakeholders Express stakeholder desires that are requirements with user stories Refine your user stories, and plan more effective Scrum sprints Confirm user stories by scripting behaviors with scenarios Transform scenarios into automated tests that easily confirm your softwares expected behavior as designs emerge and specifications evolve Ensure higher-quality software by specifying nonfunctional requirements

Requirement traceability matrix through documentation for SCRUM methodology

Abstract: Requirement traceability matrix is a table that captures the complete user and system requirement for the system. It helps to trace from requirement till testing in order to verify that the requirement is fulfilled. In SCRUM development methodology, requirement traceability matrix is used to capture the linkage of user stories between product backlog and sprint backlog. The linkages between the requirements are retrieved through these two documents. However, unstructured format of both documents do not help in getting the requirement traceability. Thus, requirement traceability has become an issue for SCRUM practitioners especially for system development and maintenance. Therefore, this study will introduce structured format of available artifacts and develop a tracing tool to automatically generate the requirement traceability matrix by keyword searching. Both the documents used in this study have to be prepared by using the structured format and the proposed traceability tool is able to generate the requirement traceability matrix automatically by keyword searching functionality. The result shows that the introduced structured format is very useful and it has increase the efficiency of retrieving the matrix far better than previous process. There is a significant time saved up to 95% for generating the requirement traceability matrix using the proposed method and tool. As a conclusion, requirement traceability can be achieved in SCRUM methodology through the proposed structured documentation and the tool developed.

Automated data collection, computation and reporting of content space coverage metrics for software products

Abstract: One or more test results and one or more user stories are received. For each test result in the one or more test results a set of content space coordinates of the one or more test results is compared to a set of content space coordinates of the one or more user stories. Based on the comparison it is determined if one or more user stories have been tested. One or more results of the comparison are then stored.

Towards Identification of Software Improvements and Specification Updates by Comparing Monitored and Specified End-User Behavior

Abstract: Support of end-user needs is an important success factor for a software application. In order to optimize the support of end-user needs, developers have to be aware of them and their evolution over time. But a communication gap between developers and users leads to ignorance of developers about how users use their application. Also, developer assumptions about user behavior are rarely tested and corrected if they are wrong. Consequently, many software applications have a mediocre support of user needs and user problems as well as changes in user needs are detected rather late. In this paper, we present a research agenda addressing this problem by comparing use case descriptions to monitored user actions. More specifically, we propose to monitor user actions using instrumentation, detect the current use case of a user using machine learning, and compare use case steps to monitored user actions. By detecting differences between both, we identify mismatches between user behavior and developer assumptions reflected in use case descriptions. Those mismatches can serve as starting points to identify software improvements, to test the use case specification and identify updates, and to revise training programs. Finally, we sketch a plan to evaluate our approach.

How We Successfully Adapted Agile for a Research-Heavy Engineering Software Team

Abstract: In our development team at Sandia National Laboratories we have honed our Scrum processes to where we continually deliver high-performance engineering analysis software to our customers. We deliver despite non-ideal circumstances, including development work that can be categorized as exploratory research, regular use of part-time developers, team size that varies widely among Sprints, highly specialized technical skill sets and a broad range of deliverables. We believe our methodologies can be applied to many research-oriented environments such as those found in government laboratories, academic institutions and corporate research facilities. Our goal is to increase the adoption of Lean/Agile project management in these environments by sharing our experiences with those research-oriented development teams who are considering using Lean/Agile, or have started and are encountering problems. In this paper we discuss how we create and prioritize our product backlog, write our user stories, calculate our capacity, plan our Sprints, report our results and communicate our progress to customers. By providing guidance and evidence of success in these areas we hope to overcome real and perceived obstacles that may limit the adoption of Lean/Agile techniques in research-oriented development environments.

Modeling user story completion of an agile software process

Abstract: Although some researchers have studied agile techniques of software development using simulation, simulation studies of actual agile projects are difficult to find. This report on an industrial case study seeks to address this need by presenting an experience of modeling and analyzing an agile software development process using discrete event simulation. The study, undertaken for software process improvement, produced analyses that provided project management with process capability information. First, a sensitivity analysis used a designed experiment to measure the dominant factors in user story productivity. Second, a response surface provided information on the process tolerance for defect rework. Finally, a scenario comparison supported a management decision on sprint usage.

Identifying Smart Solutions for Fighting Illegal Logging and Timber Trade

Abstract: We investigate how smart Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) solutions can be used for combating illegal logging and timber trade. We put together techniques from agile requirements engineering to propose a methodology for identifying user stories and associated risks and priorities and via a collaborative, participatory, single day workshop, named inception workshop. We present our findings from the first application of the method, with the active involvement of the relevant stakeholders, i.e technical and domain experts, which concluded in seven user stories.

The Agile and the Disciplined Software Approaches: Combinable or Just Compatible?

Abstract: Offhand, the agile and the disciplined software development approaches seem contradicting. More and more, software development organizations however strive at implementing an agile software development approach while still being compliant to a quality assurance standard. Researchers are discussing the combinability and compatibility of these two approaches. Through a review of the literature, the purpose of this chapter is to determine whether the agile and the disciplined software development approaches are combinable or just compatible, in particular to identify the main challenges of using an agile software development approach in a disciplined setting. The review shows that the agile and the disciplined approaches are compatible, but not combinable. It is possible to implement agile practices and principles in a development process compliant with a quality standard, but the regulations of the standard makes it impossible to implement a full agile software development process without compromising the agility. The main challenges, when balancing the agility and discipline in a project, are how to determine the right level of documentation and how to overcome the differences in the way requirements are handled.

Using AHP for Prioritizing the XP User Stories from the Developers and Customers Perspectives

Abstract:  Abstract—Prioritizinguser storiesin Extreme Programming (XP) is an important activitythat occurs during the planning game. In order to start development, the stakeholdershave to select which user stories should be implemented. Many studies and projects showed that there are many factors that affect the selection of stories. The literature confirms there are many ways to prioritize user stories. In this paper,the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is presented. AHPconsiders various factors from two dimensions: the customer,who is concernedwith value and urgency; and the developers,who are concerned with risk, cost of implementation, and complexity. Experimental results show promise for using AHP in XP.

Performative and Lexical Knowledge Sharing in Agile Requirements

Abstract: We present the results of our field study that describe how requirements knowledge was shared at an industrial software company using agile software practices. As is common in agile processes, the team did not capture requirements knowledge in a comprehensive specification document. Instead, requirements knowledge was captured in user stories, automated acceptance tests, personal notes, and conversations. We identified two modes of knowledge sharing: performative and lexical. Performative knowledge, which occurs through actions such as question-asking, gestures, and informal speeches, was observed in conversations and at the Scrum board. Lexical knowledge sharing, which occurs through inscribed texts, was observed in testing wiki and the software release documents. We found that the software team relied mainly on performative knowledge sharing. Although team members shared few written documents, they were able to effectively develop software that satisfied customer requirements. Results from our field study have implications for both agile practitioners and knowledge management. The former could encourage question-asking to provide opportunities for performative knowledge sharing. The latter could pay attention to personal management so that users can more effectively engage in performative knowledge sharing.

Adapting to Agile Roles and Responsibilities

Abstract: When moving to an Agile world, there is a significant shift in roles and responsibilities. In a more traditional project, decisions are typically made in a hierarchical manner, and roles are specifically established to support this structure. If you are serious about moving to Agile and gaining an Agile mindset, then maintaining traditional roles will get in the way of this change. In the Agile world, there is a purposeful focus away from hierarchy and a strong focus on getting people to work together every day.

Working with Story Points, Velocity, and Burndowns

Abstract: Within an Agile context, applying story points is an acknowledged way to size user stories. Story points are a relative sizing approach that focuses on the scope of work, which is made up of the effort of the work and its complexity. As a readiness activity within the RICH model, it is important to educate team members on the sizing framework you are applying, using Sprint Burndowns to assess progress within a Sprint, and how velocity can help you establish the team pace of work.