Vision meets visualization: Are animated videos an alternative?

[Context and motivation] Creating a shared understanding of requirements between all parties involved about a future software system is difficult. Imprecise communication can lead to misunderstanding of requirements. Vision videos demonstrate and visualize the functionality, use and impact of a software system before the actual development process starts. They stimulate discussions about the software system and its associated requirements. [Question/problem] Vision videos should be produced with as little effort as possible, in terms of resources and time consumption, yet with sufficient quality. This raises the questions: Does the presentation of a vision video influence its perception by the audience? Do animated vision videos offer an alternative to real videos to communicate a vision? [Principal ideas/results] We conducted an experiment with 20 participants comparing animated and real videos showing the same content. The videos illustrate the population decrease in rural areas and envision a possible solution to counteract the consequences of grocery store closings. The participants suggested own solutions for the problem of grocery store closings, rated the videos and chose their preferred type of video representation. The results of the experiment show no difference in neither the amount of solutions proposed nor the rating of the videos. Likewise, the results show no difference in the preferred type of video representation. [Contribution] Our study indicates that animated vision videos offer an adequate alternative to real videos. Thus, vision video producers have another viable option to choose for achieving a shared understanding of a future software system.