Project » Requirements analysis document
Requirements analysis is the first stage in most formal software development processes, and is carried out to identify, among other things, the detailed specifications of the software to be developed and the resources required to develop it. A requirements analysis document would describe specific use-cases and other "non-functional" aspects of the software such as performance criteria, design constraints, etc.
Ultimately, the goal of requirements analysis is to ensure that (a) the engineers know what needs to be built, (b) they have what they need to build it in a reasonable amount of time, and (c) their efforts can be measured.
For your project, I'm not looking for a lengthy, formal requirements analysis document, but the objectives mentioned in the last paragraph are essentially the same. In a 2-3 page paper, I'm asking you to give me essentially what is a promise of what you intend to deliver at the end of the semester.
You should start out with a draft description of your app that would be suitable for use on a store description page (browse the App Store in iTunes or on the Apple website for examples/inspiration).
The remainder of the document should answer the following questions:
What will your app be named?
What are the defining features of your app? (If you don't plan on having a feature-complete app at the end of the semester, list all the features anyway.)
If you don't necessarily plan on completing your app by the end of the semester, what is the minimum set of features it will have by then?
What category does your app best fit into? (see http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36 for a list of categories on the App Store)
Will it target the iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad, all iOS form factors, or Android? What platform version(s)?
What audience is the app intended for? Be as specific as you can.
What device capabilities do you plan on making use of, and how? (e.g., audio playback, multitouch, accelerometer, geolocation)
Will your app be persisting data of any sort -- i.e., will it need to save data modified/created by the user? If so, what data, and where will it reside? (e.g., on the device, in the cloud)
What existing work do you plan on leveraging to help build your application (e.g., game engines, third-party libraries, graphics assets)? You may need to do some research to answer this question fully.
If you're working as a pair, (a) why do you think it's justified, and (b) what will be the division of labor?
You should submit your requirements analysis document as a Word or PDF document to Blackboard by the due date.