Requirements engineering using appreciative inquiry for an online community of caregivers of children with autism

ABSTRACT

Appreciative Inquiry, commonly used in organizational development, aims to build organizations, processes or systems based on success stories using a hopeful vision for an ideal future. It produces positive results with organizational change management. We adjusted the user requirements process for an online community of caregivers of children with autism and compared it with the traditional approach. Based on case studies with 4 special education teachers, we found that Appreciative Inquiry was effective for obtaining meaningful requirements and extremely useful in encouraging buy-in with novice users. This outcome was in stark contrast to the traditional approach where our participants showed no interest in an online community. In addition to these results, we present lessons learned in adjusting the Appreciative Inquiry process for user requirements analysis.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.1 Requirements/Specifications

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)

  J. Computer Applications
  J.3 LIFE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors

Keywords:
appreciative inquiry, autism spectrum disorder, online community, requirements engineering