Are we afraid of the dark [requirements]

Why don´t we look into the dark? Are we afraid that it represents an unknown quantity and is therefore dangerous? If we have little time before our deadline, do we want to spend it looking into areas that our tools and methods don´t mention? The answer depends on the kind of product you intend to build. If your product is to be the seventh incarnation of the payroll system that your company first implemented in 1976 and has changed very little in the intervening years, then look no further. If you want your next product to anticipate the future, to be one that its users like, to offer significant advantages to your organization, then requirements has to take on a different meaning. It has to mean looking into areas that are vague or unexplored, poking into the unlit corners to discover dark secrets, and inventing what your users never dreamed of.