Gamified Requirement Elicitation for a Multi-Modal Decision Support System. The Case of SYNCHROMODE
For developers of complex decision support systems, this work offers a practical method to enhance requirement elicitation, though it is an incremental application of gamification to a specific domain.
The paper presents a gamified approach to requirement elicitation for a multimodal decision support system (SYNCHROMODE) and compares it with traditional use-case-based methods. The gamification process generated 20 new requirements not identified by traditional methods, demonstrating its potential to uncover additional stakeholder needs.
SYNCHROMODE is a Horizon Europe project that aims to develop a data-driven ICT toolbox for improving the management of transport operations from a multimodal perspective. This is, in essence, a multimodal decision support system that will take the form of interconnected pieces of software. Developing complex systems requires careful planning and management. Their "life cycle" consists of several phases, starting with the critical stage of requirement elicitation, which establishes the system's foundational needs and expectations. This paper focuses on the requirement elicitation phase of core interconnected services that are to be offered through the SYNCHROMODE toolbox. Elicitation is achieved both through traditional methods and specifically through the use of use cases as well as through the use of gamification. During the design phase of the toolbox and as a result of the use cases a set of predefined requirements were identified. Moreover, a requirement elicitation serious game was designed and developed. Subsequently, the game was presented in person during a physical workshop, which took place in Thessaloniki in October 2023, to a diverse range of stakeholders, including experts in traffic management, public transport authorities, MaaS providers, first responders, ITS technology providers, and local authorities. Both requirement elicitation processes are summarized in the context of this paper. Finally, the requirements generated through traditional means and through gamification are then analyzed and compared.