1 Revision History
Editor Version Comment
AarthiGiridharan
3.0 Initial template
Kumaran Senapathy, Vignesh Swaminathan
3.1 Section 2
Govindarajan Pannerselvam, Sriram Sridharan
3.2 Section 3
Balaji Shanmugam, Kumaran Senapathy
3.3 Domain Requirements
Vignesh Swaminathan, Aarthi Giridharan
3.4 Functional Requirements
Sriram Sridharan, Govindarajan Pannerselvam
3.5 Non-Functional Requirements
Neha Malloli, Aarthi Giridharan
3.6 Problems & Issues
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2 Process
We, the Andromeda team have followed a definite process in creating this HOPE system. We had gathered and discussed the requirements from lot of resources like web, by taking to elderly people who might use our system and based on our own experience from our grandparents and from the elderly people we had come across.
Any requirements which use the term shall indicate that that functionality is critical core functionality that will be implemented in the first version of the HOPE system. Other functionality that is identified by our requirements gathering process that is not considered critical core functionality and may be implemented instead in a later version of the HOPE system will be referenced using the word ‘will’.
The software process that we are using in this system is V-process model. Change is inevitable in software projects so our process is designed to adapt to the changes and allow modification where necessary to the requirements and other documents.
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3 Introduction
3.1 Purpose
Unfortunately Old Age has now become a prevalent social problem in our society. In our modern society, where money is the scale of everything, old age people measured as an economic liability and a social load. In addition, old age is unavoidable and thus of concern to each of us. It is strange no one wants to grow old but everyone wants to live long. Old age watched as an inescapable, undesirable, problem- ridden stage of life that we compelled to live, marking time until our final exit from life itself. A statistics says, by 2050 there will be more people in the world who are 60 and over than children aged 14 and under. As people get older, they tend to experience difficulties with hearing, speaking, vision and memory loss, and muscle weakness.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a branch of study to assist or help people with communication difficulties. It comprises of many techniques, including sign language, gestures, visual aids, pictures, symbols, text-to-speech electronic communicating devices, and so on. It was aimed to help people who only had difficulties in speaking or speaking clearly - in communication. It has found many potential applications in helping people with development disabilities, speech and hearing disorder, autism, dyslexia, aphasia, and so on. But to help elderly or anyone who have more than speech disorder we need to go in depth beyond AAC to find their problem and needs towards their physical and mental disorders and provide a way to live them pleasantly.
So, this project is intended for helping the elderly population suffering from communication difficulties, such as lack of hearing, speech impairment and unclear speech, as well as low vision, weak memory, muscle weakness and much more elderly problem. We are going to help elderly people with above problems with the mobile communication device which serves as multi-functional help device. We hope that our ‘HOPE” system will Helping Our Elder People Easily.
3.2 Project Scope
The broad scope of our HOPE project is,
To build an all-in-one solution where the user need not depend on any other device but the mobile phone to meet most of the basic needs and problem specified above.
To drastically reduce the level of dependency on a third person as many of the services are available in a pocket device.
To develop a user friendly application to support features like emergency contacts, speed dialing, drug reminders, speech recognition, profiles, etc.
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3.3 Project Deliverables
Phase Deliverable Date
Phase 0 Preliminary Project Plan January 25nd, 2012
Phase 1 Interim Project 1
Requirement Specification
Requirement Analysis
Presentation
March 6th, 2012
Phase 1 Final Project 1
Improved Requirement Specification
Improved Requirement Analysis
Presentation
March 26th, 2012
Phase 2 Interim Project 2
Improved Requirement
Specification / Analysis
Implementation
Testing
Presentation
April 26th, 2012
Phase 2 Final Project 2
Modified Implementation
Modified Testing
Presentation
April 30th, 2012
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3.4 Project Responsibilities
Phase 1 Deliverables Developers Reviewers Team Lead
Preliminary Definition
Aarthi Giridharan
Balaji Shanmugam
Govindarajan Panneerselvam
Kumaran Senapathy
Neha Malloli
Sriram Sridharan
Vignesh Swaminathan
Neha Malloli
Sriram Sridharan
Aarthi Giridharan
Documentation and Presentation
Aarthi Giridharan
Balaji Shanmugam
Govindarajan Panneerselvam
Kumaran Senapathy
Neha Malloli
Sriram Sridharan
Vignesh Swaminathan
Balaji Shanmugam
Vignesh Swaminathan
Aarthi Giridharan
3.5 Process Model
For the implementation of HOPE system, we will follow the V-Model. The V-model represents a software development process which may be considered an extension of the waterfall model. Instead of moving down in a linear way, the process steps are bent upwards after the coding phase, to form the typical V shape. The V-Model demonstrates the relationships between each phase of the development life cycle and its associated phase of testing. The horizontal and vertical axes represents time or project completeness (left-to-right) and level of abstraction (coarsest-grain abstraction uppermost), respectively.
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The V- Model
3.6 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations
HOPE - Helping Our People Easily
3.7 Summary of Domain Requirements
DR1 A smart phone is required
DR2 The user needs basic knowledge about using the smart phone
DR3 The phone must have HOPE in it.
DR4 Click the icon to convert speech to text
DR5 Click on icon will convert text to speech.
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DR6 Old people suffering from hearing problem will need a converter.
DR7 Phone must have an in-built microphone, typically to record the speech.
DR8 Some elderly people who have problem in hearing will find it difficult to understand what is being spoken to them. In order to help them, the system will provide a feature by which the word being told is converted into an image which will be displayed in the phone.
DR9 When 2 people have problems in oral communication, they can use pictograms for communication.
DR10 Some elderly people have the problem ‘Motor Aphasia’ i.e., they have problem with speech clarity. Our system must provide a feature for them to express their message clearly.
DR11 The camera should give a brief description of the picture selected.
DR12 When the user types a message, the person at the opposite must be able to realize the scenario and act to it
DR13 Person assisting the old people must be near the phone
DR14 User must know how to use message board
DR15 Old people with visual imparities will need a tool for object recognition.
DR16 Obstacles while walking must be detected by the camera.
DR17 The camera should give a beep sound when the object is detected.
DR18 Old people suffering from memory loss due to ageing will need help remembering people and places.
DR19 Some elderly people who have memory loss will not remember to have their medicines at the correct time. This feature will generate reminders to help these people have their
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tablets at the correct time.
DR20 Old people may have issues with managing daily finances effectively.
DR21 Add a Finance planner application.
DR22 Old people may find it difficult to keep track of investments in current assets.
DR23 Elderly people may need immediate assistance in case of emergency situations.
DR24 Remote devices such as weighing machine, sphygmomanometer, cardio belt, etc. must be blue tooth enabled
3.8 Summary of Functional Requirements
FR1 Displays list of Emergency contacts that could be called by a single touch.
FR2 Converts Voice input in to textual form and if possible in picture format.
FR3 Converts textual into a voice output.
FR4 Displays all personal information stored by the user.
FR5 Alerts the user at the stored time to consume the medicine and updates medicine stock.
FR6 Text to speech converter is for people with unclear speech.
FR7 Prompts the user about the location on selecting the item.
FR8 Displays the list of food items one should and should not consume.
FR9 Displays the distance covered and calories burnt in that session.
FR10 Displays and produces the sound for the chosen picture.
FR11 Elderly people can draft budgets; meet bill payment deadlines; manage current finances in bank accounts, property and other investments; procure the insurance amount when needed by linking the user's insurance and bank accounts for direct fund
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transfers.
FR12 Elderly people perform speed dial to their relatives or doctors.
FR13 Elderly people send the results of their blood pressure readings etc. to their doctors by taking readings from devices such as weighing machine, sphygmomanometer, cardio belt etc. via Bluetooth and transfer the data to a smart phone.
FR14 Chalkboard helps user to create a message and send it to others.
3.9 Summary of Nonfunctional Requirements:Nonfunctional requirements are further sub divided in to user specific and system specific
NFR1 Speech to text converter should be able to convert spoken words to text quickly.
NFR2 The output audio should be clear.
NFR3 Conversion from speech to image must be done as quickly as possible.
NFR4 Words spoken by the person should be loud enough.
NFR5 The functionality of the message should be audible to the old person.
NFR6 The image icon when clicked should read its functionality aloud immediately.
NFR7 Conversion from text to speech must be as quickly as possible.
NFR8 Speech should be audible.
NFR9 The message should be clear to the listener.
NFR10 The font should be readable to the user.
NFR11 The camera must produce a beep sound when it recognizes an object around it immediately.
NFR12 The retrieval of the photos should be fast.
NFR13 Store few photos to identify a contact, pet or an object.
NFR14 The reminder should be invoked at the correct time.
NFR15 The phone should display the name or image of the medicine at the correct time.
NFR16 An icon for latest news shall be available to the elderly people
NFR17 Budgets should be drafted accurately.
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NFR18 User's details should be secure
NFR19 The system should manage financial assets accurately.
NFR20 The new and old investments should be kept track of to enable an understanding of current financial status
NFR21 The system that implements Bluetooth communication should be usable and reliable. Completeness in connection is an important factor since all further actions depend on proper pairing of the devices.
NFR22 Data transferred and recorded should be accurate and precise since it will be used in maintaining the case history of the patient.
NFR23 The objects should be large enough to be recognized.
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4 Issues Related To Preliminary Project Definition Here we address the various incompleteness, inconsistency and irregularity in the preliminary project definition. The issues are related to domain, functional and non-functional objectives.
4.1 Domain IssuesThe domain issues in the project are explained below:
4.1.1 Issue IDR-01: Requires SmartphoneDescription The old people should have access to smartphone to use HOPE application.Options Option A: Apple-iPhone
User friendly environment (+) Expensive (-) No choice in handset (-)
Option B: Android phone is required Comparatively Cheaper (-) Choices in handset (+) Frequent updates in software (+)
Option C: No Phone Requirement not satisfied
Decision Option B-Android platform to develop our application because it’s easier to develop and also give options in choosing handset.
4.1.2 Issue IDR-02: Basic knowledge in using the smartphoneDescription The user must have some knowledge on how to use the smartphoneOptions Option A: User manual to assist the elderly
Understand the working of the application (+) Time consuming in creating manual (-)
Option B: Assume the user know about the smartphone Reduces the effort in development (+) Saves development time (+) If the user does not know to use smartphone, he/she cannot use the
application (-)Decision Option A-Easily accessible to all users.
4.1.3 Issue IDR-03: Help option in applicationDescription Help is not clearly defined in the project definitionOptions Option A: State Help option
Improves the project definition (+) User is comfortable when Help is available (+)
Option B : Remove Help from project definition Important aspect of the project is removed
Decision Option A-We redefine the project description and give details about Help. We also mark Help as important feature in the application.
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4.1.4 Issue IDR-04: Click the icon to convert speech to textDescription Issue-Incompleteness
Does not specify the icon to be clickedOptions Option A: Remove the specification
Option B: Clearly indicate the name of the iconDecision Option B-Specify the name of the icon to be clicked to complete the statement
4.1.5 Issue IDR-05: Click on icon will convert text to speech.Description Issue-Incompleteness
Does not specify the icon to be clickedOptions Option A: Remove the feature
Option B: Clearly define the icon to be clickedDecision Option B-Specify the name of the icon to be clicked to complete the statement
4.1.6 Issue IDR-06: Elderly with hearing problem needs a converterDescription Issue-Incompleteness
Does not specify the name of the converterOptions Option A: Remove the conversion feature
Option B: Specify the name of the converterDecision Option B-Indicate the name of the converter that converts speech to text
4.1.7 Issue IDR-07: Smartphone should have microphone typically to record speechDescription Issue-Ambiguity
Implies there are many ways to use the microphoneOptions Option A: Remove ‘typically’ from the statement
Option B: Indicate all the possible ways to use the microphoneDecision Option A-After removing the word ‘typically’ the statement indicates that
microphone is for recording speech
4.1.8 Issue IDR-08: Conversion of Speech to ImageDescription Old people with hearing problem will find it difficult to understand what is being
told to them. Hence we use a speech to image converter to display an image corresponding to the word.
Options Option A: Remove the feature Important functionality in the application is missed (-) Development time is reduced (+)
Option B: Store the images of most frequently used words in the phone. When the phone senses the word, it displays the corresponding image.
Important for old people with hearing problem (+) Increases the development time, since we must analyze the words
and store their respective images (-)Decision Option B-The old people must communicate easily using the feature
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4.1.9 Issue IDR-09: Aiding in communicationDescription Old people with speech disorder will find it difficult to convey their message.
They may need a converter to display images or icons to assist them.Options Option A: Remove the feature
Option B: Remove the word ‘may’ in order to indicate it is requiredOption C: Clearly define the meaning of ‘need’ and ‘speech disorder’
Decision Option A-State clearly what is expected to improve this feature
4.1.10 Issue IDR-10: Difficulty in SpeechDescription Some elderly people have the problem ‘Motor Aphasia’ i.e., they have problem
with speech clarity. Our system must provide a feature for them to express their message clearly.
Options Option A: The user writes a message on the phone using stylus and it is converted to speech
Ease of use (+) Difficult to implement (-)
Option B: Mechanism to type the message Easy to implement (+) Old people may not be expert in typing. Hence they will need time
to express their message (-)Decision Option B-Implementation is easy.
4.1.11 Issue IDR-11: When an image is clicked, the system tells the functionality Description Issue-Incompleteness
Statement does not specify what kind of images must be clicked.Options Option A: Remove the statement
Option B: Specify the name of images to be clickedDecision Option B-Clarify the specification by specifying the name of images
4.1.12 Issue IDR-12: Understand the situationDescription When the user types a message, the person at the opposite must be able to realize
the scenario and act to itOptions Option A: Remove the statement.
Option B: Clearly state the meaning of ‘scenario’Decision Option B-Clarify the statement
4.1.13 Issue IDR-13: Person assisting the old people must be near the phoneDescription Issue-AmbiguityOptions Option A: Clearly state the distance
Option B: Expand the statement by indicating that the person assisting the elderly must be able to understand the message
Decision Option B-Make the statement understandable
4.1.14 Issue IDR-14: User must know how to use message boardDescription Issue-AmbiguityOptions Option A: Define the message board such that it is understood by anyone
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Option B: State clearly whether user must know typing or understand the optionDecision Option B-Message board clearly defined
4.1.15 Issue IDR-15: Old people with visual imparity require a tool for object recognition Description Issue-Incompleteness
Describe the statement clearlyOptions Option A: Remove the feature
Option B: Camera will be used to identify objects.Decision Option B-A camera shall be used to recognize objects
4.1.16 Issue IDR-16: Camera detection distanceDescription Issue-Ambiguity
The exact distance is not specifiedOptions Option A: The camera can recognize objects up to a distance of 10 feet.
Option B: The camera can recognize objects up to a distance of 20 feet.Option C: The camera can recognize objects up to a distance of 30 feet.
Decision Option A-Camera can capture objects clearly only within a certain distance. Hence we increase the range to 10 feet to capture images.
4.1.17 Issue IDR-17: Camera should make a sound when an object is detectedDescription Issue-Ambiguity
The message may not be loud enough for the person to hear.Options Option A: Remove the statement
Option B: The message should be loud enough for the old person to hearDecision Option B- The sound should have high audible limit for old people to hear.
4.1.18 Issue IDR-18: Remembering people and placesDescription Issue-Incompleteness.
The kind of help is not mentioned clearly.Options Option A: Remove the statement
Option B: Clearly specify the help needed.Decision Option B-Old people need this feature
4.1.19 Issue IDR-19: Help with medicinesDescription Old people may forget to take medicines at the right time. We need a feature to
remind to take medicine.Options Option A: Remove the feature
Reduces development time (+) People with memory loss find it difficult without this feature (-)
Option B: Display the name and(or) image of the tablet at the right time When a new medicine is prescribed, it must be added to the list (-) Assists the old people in taking tablets at right time (+)
Decision Option A-We need a feature to help old people with memory loss
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4.1.20 Issue IDR-20: Old people may have difficulty in managing finances effectivelyDescription The word ‘may’ do not specify the seriousness of the situation. Moreover
‘effectively’ adds vagueness to the application as it is perceived differently by different people
Options Option A: Remove the words "may" and "effectively”.Option B: Clearly define the statement
Decision Option B- Restructure the statement by merely changing the words that puts importance on the statement.
4.1.21 Issue IDR-21: Finance planner application Description The issue is vagueOptions Option A: Remove this feature
Option B: Implement this feature by integrating the bank accounts and drafting a budget plan based on the transactions and available resources
Decision Option B-Drafting a budget is more advantageous for elderly people
4.1.22 Issue IDR-22: Old people may have difficulty in keeping track of assets and investments
Description The word ‘may’ do not indicate the importance of this feature. It is difficult to keep track of the vast assets and their value
Options Option A: Remove this featureOption B: Specify a range for liquid assets to aid in emergencies
Decision Option B-Specifying a range helps in narrowing down to a critical level in managing the assets.
4.1.23 Issue IDR-23: Assisting in emergencies Description Issue-Incompleteness
The kind of emergency situations are not stated clearly.Options Option B: Remove the word “may”
Easy (+)Option A: Indicate the kind of emergencies
Give a specific requirement (+) Clearly state the original requirement (+)
Decision Option B-Define the words such that the stakeholders realize the emergency situations
4.1.24 Issue IDR-24: Bluetooth enabled medical devicesDescription Bluetooth enabled phone to connect to medical devicesOptions Option A: Use Bluetooth by compromising on the expense
Expensive (-) Increases development time (-) Saves life (+)
Option B: Remove this feature. Do not use Bluetooth technology Reduces the cost (+)
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Decreases development time (+) Removes an important feature (-)
Decision Option A-Invest in Bluetooth to go with the changing technology
4.1.25 Issue IDR-25: Smartphone shall have keypad to typeDescription Issue-Ambiguity
The statement says there are many ways to use keypadOptions Option A: Define all the ways to use keypad
Option B: Remove the word ‘typically’Decision Option B-When ‘typically’ is removed; it means that keypad is used for typing
text.
4.2 Issues with Functional Requirements
4.2.1 Issue IFR-01Description “Effective communication of intended people to carry out the routine with ease.”
Problem: Issue-Incomplete, Ambiguity Who are intended people? Does this imply all the people or only a set of them? Whom are they going to communicate with?
Options Option A: Elderly people are considered to be intended people. Elderly people suffering with difficulties communicate with people around
to perform day to day activities.Option B:
Younger people are considered as intended people. Younger people communicate with people around to perform daily
activities.Option C:
All the people are considered as intended. They are going to communicate with everybody.
Decision Option B - HOPE system is intended to help elderly people communicate effectively with other people carry out their routine with ease.
4.2.2 Issue IFR-02Description “The elderly people have problems of contorted speech; a speech to text converter
is required to convey speech clearly.”Problem: Issue- Ambiguity Does not specify who provides speech. Also the term clearly is not quantified.
Options Option A: The speech of the elderly person has problems in clarity. Speech to Text converter is required to address this issue. The term clearly means every word being interpreted.Option B: Remove this requirement.
Decision Option A- Elderly person suffering from hearing issues cannot hear the speech of
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the other person and hence needs an external interface. Hence, this feature aids in easier communication.
4.2.3 Issue IFR-03Description “The elderly people have problems of distorted speech and hence a speech to text
converter is required to convey speech clearly.”Problem: Issue- Incomplete Does not specify what the kinds of problems are.
Options Option A: People suffering with loss of vision.Option B: People suffering from memory loss.Option C: People suffering with hearing issues.
Decision Option C - Speech to text is used to help people suffering from hearing problems.
4.2.4 Issue IFR-04Description “Convert speech to image for elderly people with problems.”
Problem: Issue - Ambiguity Does not specify who provides speech.
Options Option A: Elderly personOption B: Person with whom elderly person is communicating
Decision Option B - Elderly person suffering from hearing issues cannot hear the speech of the other person.
4.2.5 Issue IFR-05Description Problem: Issue- Ambiguity and Incompleteness
Does not specify what the kinds of problems areOptions Option A: Old people suffering with loss of vision.
Option B: Old people suffering from memory loss.Option C: Old people suffering with hearing issues.
Decision Option C-Speech to text is used to help people suffering from hearing problems.
4.2.6 Issue IFR-06Description “The image to speech converter will be used to convey messages.”
Problem: Issue- AmbiguityWhat messages does it convey?
Options Option A: Any kind of message.Option B: Messages corresponding to day to day activities of the user.
Decision Option B - Elderly people with unclear speech use images to represent their day to day activities so that the person assisting them can understand what they try to express.
4.2.7 Issue IFR-07Description The above requirement does not specify to whom is the message conveyed. It
also does not describe who is trying to convey the message.Options Option A: Elderly people are the recipient of the message and people around or
people assisting elderly person are trying to convey the message.
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Option B: Elderly people are trying to convey message to people near them.Decision Option B - Elderly person suffering with unclear speech uses this converter to
express their views to people assisting them.
4.2.8 Issue IFR-08Description “Text to speech converter is for people with contorted speech.”
This requirement is incomplete. For what purpose do people with unclear speech use text to speech converter?
Options Option A: To express the feelings or convey information.Option B: To say “hello” to other person
Decision Option A - Elderly people with unclear speech want to convey a message to people around them and this text to speech converter helps them to do so.
4.2.9 Issue IFR-09Description Problem: Issue-Unclear
Does not specify to who is the recipient? Does not specify who inputs text?
Options Option A: Elderly person is the recipient and people near him input text.Option B: Elderly person provides text and people near them are supposed to understand speech produced.
Decision Option B - The statement becomes clear.
4.2.10 Issue IFR-10Description “Object recognition shall identify objects in front of them.”
Problem - IncompleteWhat kind of objects is recognized?
Options Option A: Real world object.Option B: Remove the word “object”
Decision Option A - Clearly specifying what type of object is recognized.
4.2.11 Issue IFR-11 Description Problem - Ambiguity
What does the word “them” imply?Options Option A: People around or near to elderly person.
Option B: Elderly personDecision Option B - Object recognition helps people with no or less vision to identify
objects in front of them.
4.2.12 Issue IFR-12Description “Elderly people with vision problems shall detect the presence of objects in their
path.”Issue-IncompletenessThe statement does not mention how the operation is performed.
Options Option A: Remove the statement.Option B: The phone uses the microphone and speaker to detect objects in the path
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of the user and give a loud beep sound when it detects an object.Decision Option B - It mentions the process of detecting an object in the path of the user.
4.2.13 Issue IFR-13Description “The system will store a picture album consisting of the photos of relatives and
friends of the user to help the user recognize them.”Problem : Incompleteness
Options Option A: Remove the statement.Option B: The user has to type the name of the person he is not able to recognize and the phone will display the photo of that person.
Decision Option B - The system will store a picture album consisting of the photos of relatives and friends of the user and the user has to type the name of the person he is not able to recognize and the phone will display the photo of that person.
4.2.14 Issue IFR-14Description “The system shall have a facility to remind the user to take his medicines by
displaying the name or image of the medicine.”Problem: Issue - IncompletenessThe statement does not specify when the system should give the reminder to the user.
Options Option A: Remove the statement.Option B: The system should give the reminder to the user to take medicines at the time specified by the user.
Decision Option B - The time when the reminder should be generated should be specified.
4.2.15 Issue IFR-15Description “The system will help the old people draft budgets; meet bill payment deadlines;
manage current finances in bank accounts, properties and other investments and procure the insurance amount when needed by linking the user's insurance and bank accounts for direct fund transfers.”Problem: Issue - IncompletenessThe problem does not specify about the type of budget to be drafted and the possibilities of missing out on deadlines and defaulting payment are not considered
Options Option A: Implement a more flexible budget, assuming deadlines will not be missed as there are regular reminders to indicate approaching deadlines, and there can be other sources of income as very few aspects of the overall financial picture of the person is considered.Option B: There should be a conservative budget that is drafted such that it provides scope for saving. This conservative budget will enable in acting as a buffer if there are any misses in deadlines as a result of which fines can be levied or if there happens to be other unforeseen expenses in realms that are not covered in this partial budget.
Decision Option B - A conservative budget keeps in mind the error coefficients that the reminders, even if they are missed, keeping in mind that the elderly might have a very ephemeral memory, there would not be any assumptions that there can be
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finances coming from other sources, the presence or absence of which are nknown.
4.2.16 Issue IFR-16Description “The system will help the old people draft budgets; meet bill payment deadlines;
manage current finances in bank accounts, properties and other investments and procure the insurance amount when needed by linking the user's insurance and bank accounts for direct fund transfers.”Problem- Issue: VaguenessThe requirement does not provide authenticity that the funds will be transferred. Automating the process might not be feasible enough as Insurance companies tend to ask for a case to case description and do not agree before certain important conditions laid down by them, with regards to type the ailment are met.
Options Option A: Do not implement this requirementOption B: Consider only certain cases when direct transfers can be made and neglect others.
Decision Option B - The feature tends to be incomplete by itself if it caters to a few and neglects others. Hence this might give raise to unnecessary doubts to the user, if the feature can be used for a particular case or not. Lack of resource like time also seems to be another factor for considering this option.
4.2.17 Issue IFR-17Description “The system will help the old people draft budgets; meet bill payment deadlines;
manage current finances in bank accounts, properties and other investments and procure the insurance amount when needed by linking the user's insurance and bank accounts for direct fund transfers.”Problem- Issue :IncompletenessManaging different accounts, range of properties whose values change over time and the economy can be difficult. Changing values of various currencies should also be taken into account.
Options Option A: Speculate a value based on current trends but keep in mind that the economy is bound to any adverse changes. Hence draft a conservative conversion for currencies and be as specific as possible as the duration is monthly. Provide scope for altering values by automate the process.Option B: Average out a value based on previous trends and calculate an approximate estimate than a complete one.
Decision Option A - Automating the conversion and estimation process based on current trends might lead to additional overhead but is more specific and precise. Considering the fact that the budget itself is a part of the entire picture, precision can always be advantageous.
4.2.18 Issue IFR-18Description “The system shall help the old people perform speed dial to their relatives or
doctors.”Problem - Issue: AmbiguityThe statement does not mention how the speed dialing should be performed.
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Options Option A: Remove the statement.Option B: In the phone, each number is stored for a relative or the doctor. The user should press a number to dial the number of the person with whom he wants to talk.
Decision Option B - As it specifies how the mechanism of speed dialing performed.
4.2.19 Issue IFR-19Description “The phone will have a feature to help the old people send the results of their
blood tests, blood pressure readings etc.to their doctors immediately by enabling Bluetooth in remote devices such as weighing machine, sphygmomanometer, cardio belt etc. and transfer the data to Android based cell phones. The user must make sure that Bluetooth is turned on, paired, and connected with the device to which it has to communicate, so that the data can be immediately transferred and recorded for future use.”Problem- Issue: IncompletenessThe above statement does not specify how to transfer the data from the device to the cell phone
Options Option A: Have an assistant to help the patient with transferring the data and record it for future use.Option B: Make a simple user interface that is clear for everyone to understand and use.Option C: Do not use Bluetooth for transferring the dataOption D: Include a user manual that gives steps to pair, and connect with the cell phone.
Decision Option B - Providing the user with an easy to use GUI helps in fast and easy transmittance of data directly from the remote device to the smart phone.
4.2.20 Issue IFR-20Description Problem: Issue- Vagueness
Unclear about the following: The format in which data is received on the smart phone How to record the data for future use
Options Option A: Do not save the data received from the remote deviceOption B: Store data in a format different from how it was received. (Like change the units of measurement used, as in kilograms and pounds for weight data)Option C: Provide a simple button in the GUI for storing received data in the format in which they were sent.
Decision Option C - Developing the system with a user interface that provides options of storing data in the desired format helps greatly in maintaining case history of patients.
4.2.21 Issue IFR-21Description “The phone shall have a chalkboard facility where a click on an image will create a
message so that the user can send it to the other person.”Problem- Issue: Incompleteness.The statement does not mention how the
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conversion from image to text takes place.Options Option A: Remove the statement.
Option B: The common messages that the user will send a message like “good morning”, “how are you” etc. are matched with an image and stored in the phone. When the images are clicked, the corresponding message is displayed and the user can send it to anyone.
Decision Option B - It specifies how the chalkboard facility works.
4.3 Issues with Non-Functional Requirements
4.3.1 Issue INR-01: NFR1-Speech to text converter should be able to convert the spoken words to text quickly
Description Problem -Issue: Ambiguity: The term “quickly” is not specificOptions Option A: Remove the statement.
Option B: Define the time range for the conversion.Decision Option B - The time range should be specified in seconds.
4.3.2 Issue INR-02: NFR2-The output audio should be clearDescription Problem- Issue: Unsoundness
The term “clear” is not specificOptions Option A:Remove the Feature
Option B: Rephrase the statement as “The audio should not have any delay or distortion”.
Decision Option B - Speech to text converter provides an important interface for people to communicate clearly
4.3.3 Issue INR-03:NFR3- Conversion from speech to image must be done as quickly as possible.
Description Problem-Ambiguity: The phrase “as quickly as possible” does not specify how quickly the work has to be done.
Options Option A: Remove the statement.Option B: “As quickly as possible” implies within 100 milliseconds
Decision Option B - It indicates the exact time period within the speech should be converted into the image.
4.3.4 Issue INR-04:NFR4- Words spoken by the person should be loud enough.Description Problem: Vagueness The phrase “loud enough” does not specify the level of
loudness required.Options Option A: Merely specify the voice should be loud enough to be sensed.
Option B: The words spoken should be loud. This measure is given in decibels to make it more specific.
Decision Option B-It is indicates how loud the speech should be thereby removing the ambiguity
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4.3.5 Issue INR-05:NFR5 - The functionality of the message should be audible to the old person
Description Problem – Ambiguity. There is no way to assess if the feature is audible, as the audibility faculty varies from person to person
Options Option A: Remove the statement.Option B: Define the range for audio levels.
Decision Option B - The range of audio levels should be specified clearly to prevent ambiguity
4.3.6 Issue INR006:NFR6- The image icon when clicked should read its functionality aloud immediately
Description Problem: Incompleteness. The term immediately is not preciseOptions Option A: Remove the statement
Option B: Define the time range by which the functionality should be read aloud.Decision Option B - The time range should be specified in seconds thereby making the
requirement more specific
4.3.7 Issue INR007:NFR7- Conversion from text to speech must be as quickly as possible.Description Problem Issue: Unsoundness, Inconsistency. The phrase “as quickly as possible”
cannot be quantified.Options Option A: Remove this phrase
Option B: “As quickly as possible” implies fast. Hence a specified time bound must be specified.
Decision Option B - It is simple and does not show different behavior of the system.
4.3.8 Issue INR008:NFR8- Speech should be audible.Description Problem -Issues: Unsoundness, incompleteness. The word “should” does not
provide binding provision. NFR does not define audible.Options Option A: The use of word “should” is maintained in order to avoid binding
provision. Person assisting the user must be able to hear the words to communicate easily.Option B: Due to incompleteness, NFR is ignored.
Decision Option B - It is simple and does not show different behavior of the system.
4.3.9 Issue INR009:NFR9-The message should be clear to the listener.Description Problem: Issue- Ambiguity.
There is no specific sense clarity of the message.Options Option A: Remove the entire statement.
Option B: Make the message clear by keeping the screen wider.Decision Option B - The reader is going to see that the message in a wide screen, and hence
in bigger font, thereby addressing issues with reading.
4.3.10 Issue INR010:NFR10- The font should be readable to the userDescription Problem: Unsoundness - The degree of readability varies from person to person.Options Option A: Follow the standard font template for all applications.
Option B: Remove this requirement.
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Option C: Have a resizing option to increase or decrease the font size depending upon the vision capability of the user.
Decision Option C - The resizing option will provide more flexibility to the application as it can be altered to cater to the user’s needs. Some people might not be comfortable with standard font levels and might have their priorities.
4.3.11 Issue INR011:NFR11- The camera must produce a beep sound when it recognizes an object around it immediately
Description Problem - Ambiguity: The term immediately is not precise. Also, the term ‘around’ does not specify how much distance in the vicinity is covered.
Options Option A: Remove this requirement.Option B: Specify the time interval in seconds within which the beep sounds must be heard clearly, and specify the distance that needs to be maintained for the object to be recognized by the camera.
Decision Option B - The beep sound that is produced upon detecting an object in the vicinity, within the specified time frame greatly aids the elderly people who are suffering from vision problems.
4.3.12 Issue INR012:NFR12-The retrieval of the photos should be fast Description Problem- Issue: Incompleteness: There should be a set time bound to specify the
retrieval time of a picture from the albumOptions Option A: Do not address this requirement.
Option B: The retrieval of a picture should not take more than 5 MS.Decision Option B - This time bound though assumed makes the requirement more specific
and hence easier to implement.
4.3.13 Issue INR013:NFR13-Store few photos to identify a contact, pet or an objectDescription Problem: Issue – Vagueness
“Few” is not a quantifiable term.Options Option A: Do not implement this requirement.
Option B: Specify that there should not be more than 2 photos for a particular contact.
Decision Option B - As it removes the vagueness in the requirement, thereby making it more specific and hence addressable.
4.3.14 Issue INR014:NFR14- The reminder should be invoked at the correct timeDescription Problem: Issue – Vagueness
There is no such benchmark as Correct time. It is an ephemeral conceptOptions Option A: Specify a stipulated time at which the reminder must be sounded.
Option B:Do not implement this requirementDecision Option B - As it removes the vagueness in the requirement, thereby making it
more specific and hence addressable.
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4.3.15 Issue INR015:NFR15- The phone should display the name or image of the medicine at the correct time.
Description Problem -Vagueness: There is no such benchmark as Correct time. It is an ephemeral concept
Options Option A:Do not implement this requirementOption B: Specify a stipulated time at which the name and image must be sounded.
Decision Option B - On implementing Option A the requirement tends to become more specific.
4.3.16 Issue IN0016:NFR16- An icon for latest news shall be available to the elderly peopleDescription Problem : Issue –Ambiguity
The term latest does not specify how recent the news should be.Options Option A: Remove this requirement.
Option B: Specify the time frame in days that possibly classifies news as latest or outdated.
Decision Option B - If there is a specification that the news is updated weekly or daily it serves in removing the ambiguity in the requirement.
4.3.17 Issue IN0017:NFR17-Budgets should be drafted accuratelyDescription Problem - Issues: Unsoundness, Incompleteness. The word "should" does not
provide a binding provision. The word "accurately" is not defined and cannot be measured
Options Option A: Replace "should" with "shall". "Accurately" indicated the requirement of precision in drafting the budget to the final value.Option B: Replace "should" with "shall". Remove "accurately".
Decision Option A - It entails minimum change in actual nonfunctional requirement while providing further explanation of the terms
4.3.18 Issue IN0018:NFR18-User's details should be secureDescription Problem-Issue: Incompleteness. There is an ambiguity in understanding the idea of
securityOptions Option A: All the details that need to be secured are listed explicitly to prevent any
assumptions. What might be considered trivial from the developer's perspective to protect might actually be considered vital for the user. Replace "Should" with "Shall"Option B: Replace "Should" with "shall". Define the security need by specifying that the bank details of the user are critical and should not be compromised to any third party
Decision Option A - As it entails highest degree of understanding.
4.3.19 Issue IN0019: NFR19- The system should manage financial assets accurately.Description Problem – Incompleteness. The word "should" does not provide a binding
provision. The word "accurately" is not defined and cannot be measuredOptions Option A: Replace "should" with "shall”. All calculations should be estimated to
the nearest precision, date format representation ambiguities must be addressed and conventional predictive strategies for calculations involving futuristic needs
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should be adopted.Option B: Replace "should" with "shall". Remove "accurately"
Decision Option A - It entails minimum change in actual nonfunctional requirement while providing further explanation of the terms
4.3.20 Issue IN0020: NFR20- The newer, older investments should be kept track of to enable an understanding of current financial status
Description Problem- issue: Incompleteness, Traceability. The word "should" does not provide a binding provision
Options Option A: Keep into account all the properties that are in holding at present as it provides a higher degree of accuracy. Replace "should" with "shall".Option B: Track assets that can be liquidated immediately than immovable assets. This is because these are the ones that can be used in case of emergencies and hence make it more convenient to limit scope. Replace "should" with "shall".
Decision Option A - It takes into consideration the essential aspects that would prove to be more useful thereby increasing the ease of manageability.
4.3.21 Issue IN0021 -NFR21- The system that implements Bluetooth communication should be usable and reliable. Completeness in connection is an important factor since all further actions depend on proper pairing of the devices.
Description Problem - Issue: Vagueness. The words usable and reliable are used, but not clearly defined, and hence cannot be quantified. Completeness does not specify a measurable extent. The word “should” does not provide binding provision.
Options Option A: The word “should” is replaced by “shall”. Remove the words “completeness” from the requirement. The sentence then becomes “The system implementing Bluetooth communication shall be usable and reliable.Option B: The word “should” is replaced by “shall”. The word “usable” and “reliable” refer to how successfully the system can be used with Bluetooth support. The word “completeness” refers to successfully establishing a connection between the devices, so that they are ready to send/receive data.
Decision Option A - It entails minimum change in the actual non-functional requirement while providing further explanation of the terms
4.3.22 Issue IN0022:NFR22- Data transferred and recorded should be accurate and precise since it will be used in maintaining the case history of the patient.
Description Problem: Issue - Unsoundness, Incompleteness.The word “should” does not provide binding provision. The word “accurately” is not defined and cannot be measured. The definition for “precise” in the context to the project is missing. The term case history does not give details about the period (number of days) since it is maintained.
Decision Option A - It is a simple, logical and more feasible solution.
4.3.23 Issue IN0023:NFR23: The objects should be large enough to be recognizedDescription Problem-Issues: Vagueness:“Large Enough” is a generic termOptions Option A: Replace word “should” with “shall”. Range of identifiably should be
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specifiedOption B: The requirement need not be implemented
Decision Option A - Clears the ambiguity in the requirement and thereby makes it feasible to implement.
5 Decisions and Rationale: Integrated Model (for Improved Understanding)
5.1 World
This section will provide a better understanding of this domain’s requirements and discusses all the problems, goals, functional and non-functional aspects and requirements of this domain.
5.1.1 Problems:
Hearing:
1. Most of the elders have various hearing disorders such as partial deafness, etc. They have difficulty in making out what’s being spoken to them. This affects their day – to – day activities.
2. Most of them suffering from hearing loss do not evince interest in wearing hearing aids.
3. People with severe hearing loss when conversing with others would find it difficult to understand unless the speech is accompanied by some relevant hand gestures or something that at least vaguely resembles the sign language.
4. People with hearing loss are a hazard to both themselves and others, they might not respond to the sounding horns on road that may lead to accidents.
5. They might not respond to fire alarms, emergency sirens that would once again lead to personal hazard.
Speech Clarity:
1. Elderly sometimes have problems in clearly conveying themselves to others.
2. This acts a barrier when they interact with others as well as their family members.
3. Sometimes they have to write it down, if they have to convey it to others.
4. They cannot shout out loud during an emergency, or speak properly on a phone to the emergency services.
Vision
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1. Due to the old age, they sometimes experience loss in vision. This would seriously cripple their day – to – day abilities.
2. They would have trouble in reading things and making them out, or finding misplaced things.
3. They would not make out danger signs and may be a potential hazard on road, and off road.
Memory Loss
1. It would be difficult to remembering things as people age. Hence they need some kind of an aid to remember things.
2. They forget to take their medicines on time.
3. They miss out on certain important schedules.
4. They would not be fit to manage their finances as it would require a good memory to keep the complex password in mind.
Everyday Living
1. The elderly may not be able to drive themselves to the doctor. They might not be able to cook for themselves or tend to themselves.
2. To keep themselves updated on the news would be difficult for them.
3. They would definitely need a scheduler or task manager for their daily routine.
5.1.2 Goals:
G1: Assist someone with hearing loss in communicating with the other person
G2: Help someone with hearing loss in understanding the other person
G3: Help someone with difficulty in expressing his or her ideas through speech
G4: Help someone with loss in vision to identify objects.
G5: Help someone with loss in vision in navigating them.
G6: Help someone with memory loss to remember things.
G7: Help an elderly person in reminding them to take their medicine on time.
G8: Allow an elderly person call for help from family, an assistant or the authorities
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G9: Help in monitoring a medical device and manage the time critical data.
G10: Help the people with memory loss to get remainders for important meetings and doctor appointments.
G11: Keep an elderly person up to date on their finances.
G12: Provide an elderly person with news that is important to them.
5.1.3 Improved Functional Understanding of the Domain: World
WF1: The user should have an Android phone
WF2: The user should know how to use the basic features of the Android phone
WF3: The phone must have HOPE services running on it.
WF4: Users with loss in memory and vision must be sure to keep the mobile always with them.
WF5: Old people suffering from hearing problem will need a speech to text converter
WF6: There should always be a person within 10 meters of the old person to help him.
WF7: The elderly who have trouble hearing will need a speech-to-text application to hear well
WF8: The images of the frequently used words are stored in the phone’s memory
WF9: The elderly who have trouble hearing will need a speech-to-image application to understand quickly.
WF10:The user needs to keep the phone on their person to be able to use the system.
WF11:Old people suffering from speech disorders will need to be able to use images or icons to ask for help when in need.
WF12:People with extremely unclear vision will need things read aloud to them instead of being able to read text.
WF13:When two people have problems in oral communication they should use pictograms for communication.
WF14:Old people having speech clarity problems would benefit from a system that provides a user interface to type the message they want to express.
WF15:Old people with visual imparities will need a camera for object recognition.
WF16:The elderly with vision problems would like obstacles detected at a distance of 2m when they are walking.
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WF17:The user requires a keypad to type text.
WF18:A text to speech application would help people who have trouble speaking clearly.
5.1.4 Improved Non Functional Understanding of the Domain: World
WNF1: The elderly expect their phone to respond to commands within 2 seconds.
WNF2: The elderly people expect any application to be installed within 30 seconds.
WNF3: It is helpful for an elderly person who is walking to have a warning within 80-100 dB if there is an obstacle.
WNF4: The user expects the charge on their phone to last for at least one day.
WNF5: Elderly people prefer to use applications that are user friendly.
WNF6: The user prefers systems that never crash.
5.2 Requirement Specification
5.2.1 Functional RS – Improved understanding of Software System Requirements: FRs
The objective of HELP is to provide a platform for helping the elderly, the disabled having unclear speech, hearing loss, weak vision and/or memory loss, in day – to day communications. This platform helps the elderly, and this section deals with the domain: Functional requirements in Requirement Specification.
FR-01: Elderly people use HELP to communicate effectively with other people and perform their day to day activities without a frustrating level of difficulty.
FR-02: HELP shall assist users in the following activities:
FR-03: The speech to text converter is used to interpret every word spoken by the elderly person.
FR-04: The speech to image converter will allow the user with hearing problems to understand the meaning of words spoken by another person.
FR-05: Elderly people with speech clarity difficulty shall use image to speech converter to convey messages corresponding to day to day activities to people within 5 meters.
FR-06: An elderly person with unclear speech shall use text to speech converter to express messages to people within 5 meters.
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FR-07: Object recognition shall identify real world objects in front of the elderly person.
FR-08: The object recognition feature helps elderly people with vision problems to detect presence of objects using SONAR and produces a 80-100 dB beep sound to warn the user about the object.
FR-09: A photo album consisting of the photos of relatives and friends of the user is stored so that the user can browse and select the person they cannot recognize and the name and customizable description of the person is displayed.
FR-10: The medication assistant reminds the user to take their medicines by displaying the name or image of the medicine at the time prescribed by the doctor.
FR-11: The system will help the old people to draft budgets, meet utilities and insurance payment deadlines. There has to be a precise budget that needs to be drafted for the various financial factors considered as it will enable them in managing a portion of their finances.
FR-12: The call for help feature allows the user to select from the emergency services, family and their assistant and puts them in touch within 10 seconds.
FR-13: The medical device monitor allows elderly people to send their vital signs data from remote devices such as a weighing scale, sphygmomanometer and cardio belt to the smart phone via Bluetooth, where it is saved in the same format in which it is received and maintaining the case history of patients.
FR-14: The blackboard facility helps a user to type in text messages or selects an image which conveys their exact meaning.
5.2.2 Non-functional RS -Improved understanding of Software System Requirements: NFRs
This section deals with the non - functional requirements of the requirement specification.
NFR-01: The speech-to-text converter should be able to convert spoken words to text within 10 seconds.
NFR-02: The output audio should be without noise interference and be output within a 1 second delay.
NFR-03: Conversion from speech to image must be done within 2 seconds.
NFR-04: The system should be able to detect words spoken by the user at 60 dB and convert them to images within 2 seconds.
NFR-05: All sound produced by the system shall be within 80-100 dB.
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NFR-06: Any image icon when clicked should read its functionality aloud within 2 seconds.
NFR-07: Conversion from text to speech must take place within 10 seconds.
NFR-08: The output audio from the system should be able to be heard correctly at least 99% of the time and the speed should not exceed 100 words per minute to the elderly people.
NFR-09: The font should be re-sizeable within the range of 12 to 30 according to the user’s convenience.
NFR-10: Object detection should identify an object within 22 meters with 99% accuracy.
NFR-11: The retrieval of the photos should take place within 0.5 seconds.
NFR-12: The system should allow storage for at least 2 photos to identify a contact, pet or object.
NFR-13: The reminder should be sounded within 2 seconds of the time scheduled for medicine.
NFR-14: The phone should never display the wrong medicine image.
NFR-15: The news provided by the system should be no more than 3 days old.
NFR-16: Financial Budgets should be drafted up to 3 digits after the decimal point.
NFR-17: All details provided to the system by the user should be secure from access for which they did not give permission.
NFR-18: The financial assistant should manage financial assets such that calculations are precise to 4 decimal points, and date format is MMM DD YYYY.
NFR-19: The financial assistant will manage investments since 1900 so as to maintain current financial status.
NFR-20: The readings from Bluetooth medical devices should match the data which was read by the device 99.99% of the time.
NFR-21: The user interface should be rated 4.5 out of 5 or higher when given to elderly people.
NFR-22: Vital signs data should be transferred from the medical device to the Android phone within 30 seconds.
NFR-23: The blackboard application should allow the user to communicate their idea using fewer than 5 key-presses 90% of the time.
NFR-24: The elapsed time between the click of an icon and the sound generation should be less than 1 second.
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NFR-25: Emergency calls should be completed within 10 seconds.
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6 Preliminary PrototypeIn this section we describe a prototype of the HOPE system. Here we describe sample page for some features such a way that the user understands the working of the project.
6.1 Home ScreenThe home screen provides the user with various features for which the user needs assistance. The various features are ‘Emergency’, ’Speech2Text’, ‘Text2Speech’, ‘Facelook’, ‘Mypage’, ‘Myshelf’, ‘DietManager’, ‘Walk-O-Meter’, ‘PicTalk’.
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6.2 Speech2Text
Speaking includes functionality for communication assistance. This has function to convert the spoken words to text.
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6.3 Text2SpeechText2Speech includes functionality for communication assistance. This has function to converts the written text to speech for those users who have problem with speech.
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6.4 Pill Tracker
The PillTracker alerts the user when he/she needs to take the medicine. For visually impaired the system reads aloud the name of the pill that should be taken.
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6.5 MyShlef
The MyShelf is used by old people with loss of memory to keep track of their items. It consists of the list of items and when the user selects it, the system displays its location.
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6.6 DietManager
The DietManager suggests food for old people according to their health condition. The DietManager consists of three signals in red, orange and green colors that indicate the severity of their health.
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7. References
1. Requirement Engineering –Advanced Requirement Engineering. CS/SE 6361, Section 001, Spring 2012. http://www.utdallas.edu/~chung/RE/syllabus.htm
2. Software Engineering (8th Edition) – Ian Sommerville3. Software Engineering, A practitioners approach (7th Edition)– Roger S Pressman
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Appendix – A
Why we stand out of the crowd?
1. Our system consists of functions that make our project better. Some of them are:a) PillTracker and MyShelf are useful for old people with memory loss.b) Old people can’t manage their finances using our finance manager.c) DietManager suggests the food that should be taken by old people for healthy life.d) Every page has the emergency button.
2. In our project we are using the V model because it is waterfall method in a V shape. After implementation, the other stages go up to show the relationship between the various development stages and its associated testing.
3. The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) the idea is that by doing 20% of the work you can generate 80% of the benefit of doing the whole job.We have used Pareto 80-20 principle for the measurement of the percentage of the changes in the requirements.
4. All icons are self-explanatory; the icon size is also larger enough to be easily identified.
5. There is more compliance between our prototype and our requirements.
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Appendix – B
Requirements Prioritization:
Out of the total 25 domain requirements, ten main requirements were considered and prioritized as below.
Domain Requirement
(DR)
Functional Requirement
(FR)
Priority Reason
DR-01 FR-01 High Emergency Service access.
DR-02 FR-02 Medium --
DR-03 FR-03 Medium --
DR-04 FR-04 Low --
DR-05 FR-05 Medium --
DR-06 FR-06 High Access to drugs.
DR-07 FR-07 Medium --
DR-08 FR-08 High Change in Pressure and Sugar levels
should be updated.DR-09 FR-09 Low --
DR-10 FR-10 Low --
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