Over-Reliance Issues with Task Guidance Systems

Abstract

Over-reliance occurs when the human responsible for completing a task allows a task aid to have too much authority. Over-reliance, long recognized as a problem with automation and decision aiding systems, now appears to also be an issue for task guidance systems. Task guidance systems are computer-based systems that guide a user through a task. A recent investigation of how the capabilities of a wearable computer may be used to provide task guidance in mobile environments demonstrated the possibility for over-reliance in these systems. Specifically, this investigation examined a wearable computer inspection aid for preflight inspection of general aviation aircraft. Pilots using the wearable computer inspection system were less thorough in their inspection than the pilots completing the inspection from memory. Deficiencies in the procedures used on the task guidance systems made it clear that the pilots with the wearable computer inspection aid were over-relying on its information. Details of this investigation and goals for future investigations into an interface design process to mitigate over-reliance in task guidance systems are discussed in this paper.