Prototyping Practices in Software Startups: Initial Case Study Results

Elizabeth Bjarnason

doi:10.1109/REW53955.2021.00038

Prototyping Practices in Software Startups: Initial Case Study Results

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Paper in conference proceeding › peer-review

Abstract

Software startups use prototyping to develop and test business ideas and to validate market viability. While prototyping is emphasized in agile methods, there is little research on how startups can best utilise scarce resources to effectively use prototypes in their dynamic business context. We performed a case study of four startups and investigated how startups currently use prototyping to elicit, validate and communicate requirements through semi-structured interviews. Our initial results indicate that prototyping is a commonly applied practice that is implicitly required to obtain funding for early stage startups, that software engineering competence is required to produce interactive and fully functioning prototypes, and that it is a challenge to balance prototype scope against expected gains.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings - 29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021
Editors	Tao Yue, Mehdi Mirakhorli
Publisher	IEEE Computer Society
Pages	206-211
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Electronic)	9781665418980
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/REW53955.2021.00038
Publication status	Published - 2021 Sept
Event	29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021 - Virtual, Notre Dame, United States Duration: 2021 Sept 20 → 2021 Sept 24

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering
Volume	2021-September
ISSN (Print)	1090-705X
ISSN (Electronic)	2332-6441

Conference

Conference	29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021
Country/Territory	United States
City	Virtual, Notre Dame
Period	2021/09/20 → 2021/09/24

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Software Engineering

Free keywords

case study
prototyping
requirements
startups

Access to Document

10.1109/REW53955.2021.00038

ELLIIT: Efficient Business Prototyping in Software Startups
Bjarnason, E. (Researcher)
2020/09/01 → 2022/07/30
Project: Research

Cite this

Bjarnason, E. (2021). Prototyping Practices in Software Startups: Initial Case Study Results. In T. Yue, & M. Mirakhorli (Eds.), Proceedings - 29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021 (pp. 206-211). (Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering; Vol. 2021-September). IEEE Computer Society. https://doi.org/10.1109/REW53955.2021.00038

@inproceedings{8789527ecd7a45e5aff7bdd6e5178f5d,

title = "Prototyping Practices in Software Startups: Initial Case Study Results",

abstract = "Software startups use prototyping to develop and test business ideas and to validate market viability. While prototyping is emphasized in agile methods, there is little research on how startups can best utilise scarce resources to effectively use prototypes in their dynamic business context. We performed a case study of four startups and investigated how startups currently use prototyping to elicit, validate and communicate requirements through semi-structured interviews. Our initial results indicate that prototyping is a commonly applied practice that is implicitly required to obtain funding for early stage startups, that software engineering competence is required to produce interactive and fully functioning prototypes, and that it is a challenge to balance prototype scope against expected gains. ",

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author = "Elizabeth Bjarnason",

year = "2021",

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doi = "10.1109/REW53955.2021.00038",

language = "English",

series = "Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering",

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editor = "Tao Yue and Mehdi Mirakhorli",

booktitle = "Proceedings - 29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021",

address = "United States",

note = "29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021 ; Conference date: 20-09-2021 Through 24-09-2021",

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Bjarnason, E 2021, Prototyping Practices in Software Startups: Initial Case Study Results. in T Yue & M Mirakhorli (eds), Proceedings - 29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering, vol. 2021-September, IEEE Computer Society, pp. 206-211, 29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021, Virtual, Notre Dame, United States, 2021/09/20. https://doi.org/10.1109/REW53955.2021.00038

Prototyping Practices in Software Startups: Initial Case Study Results. / Bjarnason, Elizabeth.
Proceedings - 29th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops, REW 2021. ed. / Tao Yue; Mehdi Mirakhorli. IEEE Computer Society, 2021. p. 206-211 (Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering; Vol. 2021-September).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Paper in conference proceeding › peer-review

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AB - Software startups use prototyping to develop and test business ideas and to validate market viability. While prototyping is emphasized in agile methods, there is little research on how startups can best utilise scarce resources to effectively use prototypes in their dynamic business context. We performed a case study of four startups and investigated how startups currently use prototyping to elicit, validate and communicate requirements through semi-structured interviews. Our initial results indicate that prototyping is a commonly applied practice that is implicitly required to obtain funding for early stage startups, that software engineering competence is required to produce interactive and fully functioning prototypes, and that it is a challenge to balance prototype scope against expected gains.

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Prototyping Practices in Software Startups: Initial Case Study Results

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Free keywords

Access to Document

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Projects

ELLIIT: Efficient Business Prototyping in Software Startups

Cite this