What techniques are best suited to identifying user requirements for a new system aimed at monitoring patients?

Field surveys are particularly useful for identifying user requirements in a healthcare context, such as monitoring patients. This technique involves collecting data directly from users in their natural environment, which provides valuable insights into their actual needs, behaviors, and preferences. When conducting field surveys, practitioners can observe patients and medical staff in real-time, capturing the nuances of their interactions and the context in which a new system would operate.

This hands-on approach allows for a comprehensive understanding of the environment, potential pain points, and specific requirements that might not be fully articulated through other methods. It also enables the identification of physical or environmental variables that could impact the performance and usability of the new monitoring system, ensuring that user requirements are grounded in reality and tailored to real-world conditions.

While questionnaires and interviews are effective for gathering insights directly from users, they rely heavily on the participants’ ability to express their needs and may miss critical contextual elements that field surveys can capture. Apprenticing involves shadowing users but may not provide the same breadth of information as field surveys. Role playing can simulate interactions but might not yield the necessary fidelity and detail regarding existing behaviors and needs. Thus, field surveys stand out as the most effective technique for uncovering user requirements in this scenario.