On the Implications of Human-Paper Interaction for Software Requirements Engineering Education

Abstract

It is broadly accepted that requirements engineering is one of the most important phases of a software project, and requires tools to be effective. For a variety of reasons, paper as a tool has lasted for millennia and remains ubiquitous. This paper makes a case for a contextual, conscientious, and evidence-based use of paper in a competency-oriented approach to software requirements engineering education (REE). It argues that the prophecies for the obsolescence of paper are premature, there are unique benefits in the use of paper, and the decision to use paper should be based on [0, 1] rather than (0, 1). In this regard, a need-centered conceptual model for human-paper interaction is proposed. The characteristics of paper that make it historically unique are reported and the affordances of paper relevant to REE are discussed. The REE-related activities that benefit from viewing paper as a boundary object and using different types of paper are highlighted and illustrated by means of examples. In advocating polyliteracy, the potential for a convergence of paper and digital media towards a harmonic coexistence is underscored.