Brukskrav

Brukskrav, often translated as usage or user requirements, is a term used in requirements engineering to describe the conditions for how a product, system, or service should be used in real-world contexts. They express the goals and tasks users must be able to perform and the outcomes expected from using the product.

Brukskrav are typically written from the user's perspective and focus on observable behavior or results rather than implementation details. They cover usability, accessibility, reliability, performance under typical workloads, and safety, with the aim of ensuring that the product supports actual user goals and workflows in practice.

In a requirements catalog, brukskrav sit alongside or above functional and technical requirements. They are often complemented by non-functional requirements and acceptance criteria and are used to guide design decisions, development, and testing, including user acceptance testing that validates real-use scenarios and outcomes.

Elicitation of brukskrav commonly involves methods such as user interviews, observations, scenarios, use cases, and user stories. Examples include: the system shall allow a user to complete a purchase with no more than three clicks; the interface shall be operable by keyboard-only navigation; error messages shall be clear and actionable and available in the user’s locale.