← Years 5–6 Creating Digital Solutions

Co-developing requirements with a teacher or user

Work with your teacher, the user and classmates to ask questions, list what the solution must do, and agree on a final list of requirements.

Part of: 5-6 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Creating Digital Solutions — Module 5, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Defining and decomposing problems — Module 13

Understanding Co-developing requirements with a teacher or user in Years 5–6 Creating Digital Solutions

What it does: Agreeing on a final list means everyone checks and accepts the requirements before building starts. These three steps show how a teacher, user and classmates build requirements together. Asking the user questions helps you find out what they really need, so you do not have to guess. A clear requirement says exactly what the solution must do or have. 'Cool' is too vague to check. Sometimes the teacher sets the requirements, which is one way requirements are developed. Without agreement the team may build different things, so a final agreed list is needed.

Common mistakes: Co-developing requirements starts by asking the user. Guessing can get their needs wrong. It should be ASK the user what they need. Requirements come from the teacher's brief and the user, not only from your own wishes. It should list what the app must do.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 1–10) and word search (Modules 1–20).

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Learning
Duo
Your teacher gives you a list of things your app must do. What is this?
Teacher-provided requirementsA final bug report
Matches
I made up the requirements by myself and never asked the user.
↓
The user was never asked, so the requirements may not match what they really need. Ask the user questions first.
Applying
Meanings
Term
co-develop requirements
Meaning
Work with your teacher, the user and classmates to ask questions, list what the solution must do, and agree on a final list of requirements.
Practice
1. Ask the user: What must it do?
Testing
Gaps
user "What do you need?"
Check Answer
Spots
1GUESS what the user needs
2LIST each answer

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Quick Questions

1. Your teacher gives you a list of things your app must do. What is this?
A. A final bug report
B. Teacher-provided requirements ✓
A teacher can give the class requirements to start with. These tell you what the solution must do.
2. Which is a good way to find out what a user needs?
A. Ask the user questions like 'What do you want the app to do?' ✓
B. Guess what the user wants and never check
Asking the user questions helps you find out what they really need, so you do not have to guess.
3. You are making a quiz app for a Year 3 class. Which question helps you co-develop requirements?
A. What will the Year 3 students need to see on the screen? ✓
B. What is my favourite colour?
Good questions focus on what the user needs the solution to do or show.
4. After you and your classmates list ideas, what is the next step?
A. Agree on a final list of requirements ✓
B. Throw the list away and start coding
Co-developing means the group talks and agrees on one final list before building starts.
5. Which one is a requirement the group could agree on?
A. The app should be cool
B. The app must have a big Start button ✓
A clear requirement says exactly what the solution must do or have. 'Cool' is too vague to check.

Match the Pairs

Teacher-provided requirements → Your teacher gives you a list of things the solution must do, so you start with a clear brief.
Ask the user: "What do you need this app to do?" → Asking the user questions to find out what the solution must do.
After collecting ideas from the user and classmates, you check them together and agree on the final list. → Agree on a final list: 1. Big buttons 2. Show the score 3. Easy to read
Co-developing requirements means working together by asking, listing and agreeing. → Ask -> List -> Agree
I made up the requirements by myself and never asked the user. → The user was never asked, so the requirements may not match what they really need. Ask the user questions first.
We wrote lots of ideas on the list but never agreed on which to keep. → The group skipped agreeing on a final list. Talk it through and agree on the final requirements before building.

Key Term

co-develop requirements
Work with your teacher, the user and classmates to ask questions, list what the solution must do, and agree on a final list of requirements.

Fill in the Blanks

1. ASK user "What do you need?"
Hint: Type the keyword that gets the user to answer a question.
2. requirements ← [] ADD "Show the score" TO requirements
Hint: Type the name of the list that stores what the solution must do.
3. ASK class "Do we all agree?" IF answer = "yes" THEN SAVE final_list
Hint: Type the keyword that starts a decision based on the class reply.
4. requirements ← teacher_list ADD "Easy to read" TO requirements
Hint: Type the name of the list of requirements your teacher gave you.
5. ASK user "What do you need?" ADD answer TO requirements SHOW requirements TO class
Hint: Type the variable that holds the user's reply to the question.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A GUESS what the user needs
B LIST each answer
C AGREE on the final list
Line A — Co-developing requirements starts by asking the user. Guessing can get their needs wrong. It should be ASK the user what they need.
Question 2
A READ the teacher's brief
B LIST only what I want
C CHECK the list with the teacher
Line B — Requirements come from the teacher's brief and the user, not only from your own wishes. It should list what the app must do.
Question 3
A ASK the user two questions
B WRITE down their answers
C SKIP agreeing on the list
Line C — Co-developing means agreeing on a final list with the user and classmates. You can't skip that step. It should be AGREE on a final list.
Question 4
A ASK the user questions
B LIST every answer
C SHARE the list with the class
D AGREE on the first idea
Line D — The group agrees on a final list after sharing and talking about all the answers. It should not just take the first idea.
Question 5
A READ the teacher's list
B ASK if anything is unclear
C AGREE on the final list
D BUILD using my own ideas
Line D — The solution is built from the agreed final list of requirements, not from your own ideas. It should be BUILD using the final list.

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