User requirements and preferences for ITS Chapter | 4 59us to explain contradictions and its development (Engeström, 1999). The fol-
lowing information can help us to identify the contradictions between the ele-
ments of an activity system.
- The dynamics of the activity system’s components.
- The interrelationships between components of the activity system
- Identify the contradictions between various components of the activity
system. - The evolution of relationships over time.
4.7.2 Benefits of activity theory for ITS requirements elicitations
There are several advantages of using activity theory for designing ITS. First,
in activity theory, individual actions are always situated in a meaningful con-
text and are impossible to understand in isolation without the meaningful con-
text as the unit of analysis (Kuutti, 1996). Second, applying activity theory to
requirements engineering provides us with a conceptual framework that allows
us to address the important issue of organizational requirements. Third, activ-
ity theory focuses on the interaction of human activity and consciousness
within its relevant environmental context (Vygotsky, 1978). Fourth, activity
theory describes activities as hierarchical in nature and provides a model for
decomposing activities into actions and operations. However, although current
research has focused on these actions and operations, it has failed to address
the real intention of the user in carrying out those actions and so has failed to
understand the needs of the user at a higher level. Fifth, activity theory insists
that all activity is mediated by physical or mental tools. Tools affect the user and
are themselves affected by the user.
A major benefit of using activity theory for requirements analysis in ITS
is the resolution of conflicts. Because of the interests and needs of different
stakeholders, conflicts are unavoidable. It is important to identify conflicts dur-
ing requirements analysis, as this helps designers to reflect on possible design
strategies accommodating all different requirements, thus fulfilling the stake-
holders’ objectives and supporting the needs of the users. (Uden, Valderas, &
Pastor, 2008).
In this chapter, we have presented a requirements elicitation approach for
ITS based on activity theory. The theoretical principles provided by activ-
ity theory can be applied in the elicitation of ITS requirements that allows
us to properly consider organizational requirements that capture the cultural,
cognitive, and social aspects that are related to the requirements engineering
activity. Activity theory also helps us to deal with the context issues of ITS.
Activity theory offers an ideal framework for the design of context-aware
systems by providing guidance on what elements of context to consider. It
can also support the implementation process for both user and system-driven
adaptability at runtime. In addition, this approach enables us to interpret the
context of user behavior in the application. Using activity theory enables us