Requirements and Software Engineering, FHNW School of Computer Science

We ensure that digital design is aligned with real-world needs and human values, technically feasible and robust in its implementation, and sustainable through forward-looking ideas. Our focus is on aligning innovative software with stakeholder needs, market requirements, and the untapped potential of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We explore new approaches to involving customers, users, and other stakeholders in the development of software systems, for example through:

• collaborative application prototyping
• rapid self-adaptation
• continuous feedback for developers
• dynamic user models such as “Living Personas” and sustainability assessments of software systems (SusAF)

As AI continues to gain importance, we develop methods for specifying AI systems based on prompt engineering techniques, data engineering for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and effective context management.

We conduct applied research in close collaboration with industry. Examples include the development of a generative AI companion to support patients (important-project.com), an agent-based solution for cybersecurity planning in small and medium-sized enterprises (cyber-geiger.eu), and a plugin-based platform for adaptive enterprise support (enablerr.ch).

We explore how humans and autonomous systems can collaborate empathetically, trustfully, and innovatively.