scope:

This International Standard describes the Common Industry Format (CIF) for reporting user needs. This document provides specifications for the contents and sample format of user needs reports, including the content elements to be provided. Specification of management needs, as well as other stakeholder needs, is considered to the extent that they directly impact on user needs. The purpose of the User Needs Report and the intended users of the information are identified, as well as the relationship of user needs to other outputs of human-centred design. User Needs Reports include: ? collection and documentation of information from various sources relevant to user needs; ? the consolidated user needs based on the analysis of the collected information. The User Needs Report is applicable to software and hardware systems, products or services (excluding generic products, such as a display screen or keyboard). User Needs Reports are relevant for existing and new products, services and systems as well as for determining, verifying, changing and elaborating context of use. The content elements are intended to be used as part of system-level documentation resulting from development processes such as those in ISO 9241-210 and ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7 process standards. This International standard does not prescribe any kind of method, lifecycle or process. To ensure that these content elements can be used within the broadest range of process models and used in combination with other information items, the descriptions use the classifications in ISO/IEC 15289 and ISO/IEC 15504-6. The content elements documenting user needs can be integrated in any process models. For the purpose of establishing process models, ISO/IEC 24774 and ISO/IEC 15504-2 specify the format and conformance requirements for process models respectively. In addition ISO/IEC 15289 defines the types and content of information items developed and used in process models for system and software lifecycle management. ISO/IEC 15504-5 and ISO/IEC 15504-6 define work products, including information items, for the purpose of process capability assessment. Process models and associated information items for human-centred design of interactive systems are contained in ISO TR 18529 and ISO TS 18152 respectively.