Missing user needs and requirements often lead to sub-optimal software products that users find difficult to use. Software development approaches that follow the user-centered design paradigm try to overcome this problem by focusing on the needs and goals of end users throughout the process life cycle. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how three different user-centered design methodologies approach the development of user requirements and determine whether the ideal requirements development processes described in these methodologies are applicable to the practice of the software industry. The results of this investigation are finally used as a guideline for defining a high-level requirements development framework for the IT department of a large multinational company.
