Customer Requirements Validation Method Based on Mental Models

Customer requirements are critical factors in the success of a software project. Owing to their importance, several methods for understanding customer requirements have been studied in requirements engineering. Although previous studies have mainly focused on the elicitation and analysis of requirements, a method for validating elicited requirements from the customers' perspective has not been actively studied. In this paper, we propose a customer requirements validation (Curve) method using the mental model technique, which is used for analyzing customers' behaviors and their mental states. The Curve provides clear criteria for requirements validation, an integrated framework for evaluating requirements, and it enables prioritization of key requirements based on customers' inner needs. Through this method it is possible to produce software products that better satisfy customers' true needs.