Developing Zoo Technology Requirements for White-Faced Saki Monkeys

Abstract

How early technology requirements are formed for animals involves asking humans caring for the animal to give requirements for them. For zoo animals, this is the keeper and other experts who work with the animal. This requirement gathering process is used as a method of forming user-centric designs for systems for animals. Yet little attention has been paid towards how to form these early requirements in zoos or whom to gather these from. Addressing this, we investigate how to construct technology requirements for the zoo housed animals, using white-faced saki monkeys as an instance. Utilizing the method of questionnaires, we gather requirements from zoo keepers and zoo visitors. Comparing and analyzing our results, we reveal how requirements for animal-technology in zoo contexts diverge and intersect. Our data indicates that these vantages mostly align; with the zoo visitors focusing upon the aesthetics and keepers concentrating on practicalities. Overarching these, we note how requirements in proxy for animals often involves a synthesis of complex motivations, user narratives, vantage points, and prior technology and animal experience that is irreparably intertwined within the requirement process. This paper builds upon requirement gathering methods for unconventional users.