A Cognitive Systems Engineering Application for Interface Design

Abstract

Cognitive Systems Engineering (CSE) is primarily a blend of technological opportunities, findings from cognitive research, and Cognitive Task Analysis. Using CSE, we were able to produce an efficient and effective redesign of the AWACS Weapons Director (WD) station. The design effort was completed in a relatively short period of time.

A Cognitive Task Analysis was performed using two interview techniques: Concept Mapping and the Critical Decision method (CDM). The information obtained using these methods pinpointed specific cognitive areas which any redesign of the WD interface must address. A revised interface was developed and evaluated.

During the evaluation, the training of the participants on the revised interface was quite brief (4.5 hours). As a result, the WDs did not achieve the same degree of familiarity or automatization with the revised interface that they have with the current interface. Yet, when WDs were using the revised system their performance improved. This was indicated by an increase in performance for a number of process and outcome measures. Also, a skilled WD provided blind ratings of WD performance. These global ratings were significantly higher for the revised interface.

The effectiveness of the revised interface suggests that it is possible to pinpoint cognitive task requirements and to make these the driving factors in a design effort. Moreover, these Cognitive Systems Engineering activities do not consume a great deal of time or effort. The use of CSE may be a feasible aspect of the design process, enabling system developers to achieve a much stronger effectiveness at relatively low cost.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Calderwood

Crandall

B. W.

Baynes

T. H.

(1988). Protocols of expert/novice command decision making during simulated fire ground incidents (KATR-858-88-02Z). Yellow Springs, OH: Klein Associates, Inc. Prepared under contract MDA903-85-C-0327 for the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Alexandria, VA.

Calderwood

Crandall

B. W.

Klein

G. A.

(1987). Expert and novice fireground command decisions (AD-B154 224). Alexandria, VA: Defense Logistics Agency.

Crandall

(1989). A comparative study of think-aloud and critical decision knowledge elicitation. ACM SIGART. 108. April.

Crandall

Calderwood

(1989). Clinical assessment skills of experienced neonatal intensive care nurses. Yellow Springs, OH: Klein Associates Inc. Final Report prepared for the National Center for Nursing Research, National Institutes for Health under Contract No. 1 R43 NR0191101.

Crandall

Gamblian

(1991). Guide to early sepsis assessment in the NICU. Fairborn, OH: Klein Associates Inc. Instruction manual prepared for the Ohio Department of Development under the Ohio SBIR Bridge Grant program.

Crandall

Klein

G. A.

(1988). Kev components of MIS performance. Yellow Springs, OH: Klein Associates Inc. Report prepared for Standard Register, Dayton, OH.

Flanagan

J. C.

(1954). The critical incident technique. Psychological Bulletin, 51, 327–358.

Gowin

D. B.

Novak

J. D.

(1984). Learning to learn. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Klein

G. A.

Calderwood

Clinton-Cirocco

(1986). Rapid decision making on the fire ground, Proceedings of the 30th Annual Human Factors Society, 1, 576–580. Dayton, OH: Human Factors Society.

10.

Klein

G. A.

Thordsen

(1988). Use of progressive deepening in battle management. Proceedings of the 11th Biennial DoD Psychology Conference, Colorado Springs, CO.

11.

McFarren

M. R.

(1987). Using concept mapping to define problems and identify key kernels during the development of a decision support system. Master's thesis, School of Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

12.

McNeese

M. D.

Zapf

B. S.

Peio

K. J.

Snyder

D. E.

Duncan

J. C.

McFarren

M. R.

(1990). An advanced knowledge and design acquisition methodology: Application for the pilot's associate. Final Report AAMRL-TR-90-060. WPAFB, OH: Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory.

13.

Thordsen

M. L.

Calderwood

(1989). Protocol analysis of flight crew decision making during simulated malfunctions. Yellow Springs, OH: Klein Associates Inc. Prepared under Order No. A72145C for the NASA/Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.

14.

Thordsen

Klein

G. A.

Michel

Sullivan

(1988). Methods for providing direct feedback about decision processes for command-and-control classroom exercises (KATR-863-88-06Z). Yellow Springs, OH: Klein Associates Inc. Prepared under contract MDA903-86-C-0170 for the U. S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Alexandria, VA.

15.

Thordsen

M. L.

Klein

G. A.

Wolf

(1990). Observing team coordination within Army rotarv-wing aircraft crews (Final Technical Report). Yellow Springs, OH: Klein Associates Inc. Prepared under contract MDA903-87-C-0523 for the U.S. Army Research Institute, Aviation Research and Development Activity, Ft. Rucker, AL.

16.

Wolf

Klein

Thordsen

Klinger

(1991). Factors affecting the decision making of fire direction officers. (Final Technical Report). Yellow Springs, OH: Klein Associates Inc. Prepared under contract DAAA15-90-C-1054 for the U. S. Army Ballistics Research Laboratory.