Identifying Requirements (WDD) (SQA National 5 Computing Science): Revision Note

End-user requirements (WDD)

What are end-user requirements?

• End-user requirements describe what the user needs to achieve when using the website

• They focus entirely on the user’s tasks and goals

• Written from the point of view of the user

• Describe what the user expects the website to let them do or access

• Do not mention HTML, CSS, JavaScript, code, tags or technical detail

• Usually gathered by interviewing or observing the users

• Used to understand what the final website must allow the user to do

Example end-user requirements

• These examples focus only on user goals

• No HTML, no CSS, no file names, no structure diagrams

• End-user requirements never mention how the website is made

Functional requirements (WDD)

What are functional requirements?

• Functional requirements describe what the website must do to meet the end-user needs

• They define the technical features, structure, and functionality the site must include

• They describe what the website must contain and how it should behave

• Used to design, build and test the website and check if it is fit for purpose

Key aspects of website functional requirements

Website structure

• This describes how the website is organised

• It specifies the required pages and how they link together

• It includes the home page, additional pages and any external links

• Example:

  • The website must have a home page and three linked pages: About, Gallery and Contact

Content and media

• These are the specific elements that must be included on the website

• They describe the text, graphics, video, audio, tables or lists the website must display

• Example:

  • The site must include an image gallery with captions and an embedded promotional video

Layout and navigation

• This describes the visual layout, consistency across pages and how the user will move around the site

• It includes page structure, relative positioning, navigation bars, menus and link placement

• Example:

  • All pages must use the same navigation bar at the top of the page

  • Images on the gallery page must be positioned below the heading

Styling (CSS requirements)

• These describe how the website should look

• They include colours, fonts, alignment and other presentation requirements

• Example:

  • Heading text must use a large font size and a contrasting colour

  • Background colour must be consistent across all pages

Interactivity (JavaScript)

• These describe how the website should respond to user actions

• They include simple event-driven behaviours such as onmouseover and onmouseout

• Example:

  • A navigation button must change colour when the user hovers over it

  • An image must swap to a second image on mouseover

Example functional requirements

• These are technical

• These requirements directly define the HTML, CSS and JavaScript needed during implementation