Context: Requirements elicitation is an essential activity to ensure that systems provide the necessary functionality to users, and that they are fit for purpose. In addition to traditional `reductionist' techniques, the use of observations and ethnography-style techniques have been proposed to identify requirements. Research Problem: One frequently heard issue with observational techniques is that they are costly to use, as developers would lose considerable time to partake, and also depend on luck in identifying requirements. Very few experience reports exist to evaluate observational techniques in practice. Results: In this experience report, we draw on several data sources, covering insights from both developers and users. The data were collected through 9 interviews with users and developers, and over 80 hours of observation of prospective users in the maritime domain. We capture `knowns' and `unknowns' from both developers and users, and highlight the importance of observational studies. Contribution: While observational techniques are costly to use, we conclude that essential information is uncovered, which is key for developers to understand system users and their concerns.

翻译：背景：需求获取是确保系统为用户提供必要功能且满足目标用途的关键活动。除传统的“简化论”技术外，基于观察和人种志风格的方法已被提出用于识别需求。研究问题：观察技术常被诟病的缺陷在于其使用成本高昂——开发者需投入大量时间参与，且需求识别高度依赖偶然性。目前鲜有经验报告对观察技术的实践效果进行评估。结果：本经验报告整合了来自开发者与用户的多源数据，通过9次用户及开发者访谈，以及对海事领域潜在用户超过80小时的观察收集数据。我们捕获开发者与用户的“已知”与“未知”信息，并强调观察性研究的重要性。贡献：尽管观察技术成本高昂，但研究发现其能揭示关键信息，这对开发者理解系统用户及其关切至关重要。