Requirements elicitation techniques applied in software startups

Requirements elicitation is the first crucial stage of a requirements engineering process, which intends to uncover, acquire and elaborate requirements for software systems. When software startups are concerned, requirements elicitation is particularly challenging due to the high uncertainty that a startup is confronted with. Few studies have investigated how software startups conduct requirements elicitation and what techniques are used in such a context. This study intends to address this knowledge gap. Three software startups from different part of the globe were studied. The findings reveal that the requirements elicitation process in startups is primordial and mainly informal, and it is an ongoing process alongside with product evolution. Software startups do employ established requirements elicitation techniques including interviews, prototyping and brainstorming. They also utilize other less common ones such as competitor analysis, collaborative team discussion and use of model users. This study highlights the market-driven nature of requirements that software startups have to deal with, and offers the first insights on the requirements elicitation techniques that could be relevant and applicable in the context of software startups.