User Need – SAMS Project

A prerequisite identified as necessary for a user, or a user group, to achieve a goal, implied or stated within a specific context of use.

A user need is independent of any proposed solution for that need. In other words: A user need must not refer for example to “the system” or “the website”.
User needs are identified based on various approaches including interviews with users, observations, user surveys, usability evaluations, expert analysis, etc.
User needs often represent gaps (or discrepancies) between what should be and what is.
User needs are transformed into user requirements which take into account the context of use, user priorities, and interaction with other system requirements and constraints.
User needs are different from user wants. User needs can be transformed into user requirements, whereas user wants are transformed into market requirements.
User needs can be divided into resource needs, informational needs and competency needs.
Every component of the context of use (user, task, resources, physical environment, social environment) can be a source for user needs.