The decision ladder template, one of the tools of cognitive work analysis, attracts attention as a point of comparison for models of naturalistic decision making, such as the recognition-primed decision model. This report compares the decision ladder template and the recognition-primed decision model in terms of five main factors. These factors are origins, concepts, knowledge elicitation, knowledge representation, and implications for the design of decision support systems. The report concludes that while there are several similarities between the decision ladder template and the recognition-primed decision model, there are a number of significant differences as well.

This book provides the first comprehensive literature review on the acquisition and retention of complex skills in High Reliability Organizations. Based on this review, it introduces a theoretical model of how skill and knowledge acquisition for complex tasks is accomplished and shows how this model can be used to derive training methods and instructional techniques. Successful acquisition and retention of complex technical skills within High Reliability Organizations requires a full understanding of the learning process, knowledge structure, and skill requirements associated with the effective operation and management of technology. For researchers and for organizations, the understanding of these processes is vital for designing training programs as well as for reducing errors with severe consequences for human lives and the environment. Until now, only theoretical fragments exist on this topic, and only a very limited number of publications actually address complex tasks in vocational/occupational settings. “The Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills for Task Work and Teamwork to Control Complex Technical Systems ” uses its literature overview and theoretical model to formulate training principles, that can be used to develop training experiments for further empirical investigations as well as training methods for applied organizational contexts.

This article presents a model of proficient decision making, which describes the decision making observed in 5 field studies of different populations. The model describes people under time pressure, shifting scenario features, and personal responsibility for decision outcomes. In 150 interviews, the authors found that experienced decision makers can usually recognize ways that situations are typical, including typical responses. They evaluate responses serially, trying to anticipate what the results of each action would be. Relatively few decisions are made using such analytical processes as generating a variety of options and considering the strengths and weaknesses of each. Differences exist between the types of prescriptive decision guidance offered by analytical and by recognitional decision models. Decision support systems designed to improve recognitional decision making would focus situation assessments more than option comparisons.

Rethinking design through the lens of embodied cognition provides a novel way of understanding human interaction with technology. In this book, Christopher Baber uses embodied cognition as a lens through which to view both how designers engage in creative practices and how people use designed artifacts. This view of cognition as enactive, embedded, situated, or distributed, without recourse to internal representations, provides a theoretical grounding that makes possible a richer account of human interaction with technology. This understanding of everyday interactions with things in the world reveals opportunities for design to intervene. Moreover, Baber argues, design is an embodied activity in which the continual engagement between designers and their materials is at the heart of design practice. Baber proposes that design and creativity should be considered in dynamic, rather than discrete, terms and explores “task ecologies”—the concept of environment as it relates to embodied cognition. He uses a theory of affordance as an essential premise for design practice, arguing that affordances are neither form nor function but arise from the dynamics within the human-artifact-environment system. Baber explores agency and intent of smart devices and implications of tangible user interfaces and activity recognition for human-computer interaction. He proposes a systems view of human-artifact-environment interactions—to focus on any one component or pairing misses the subtleties of these interactions. The boundaries between components remain, but the borders that allow exchange of information and action are permeable, which gives rise to synergies and interactions.

In complex sociotechnical systems such as military, health care, and nuclear power systems, poor performance or errors resulting from inadequate designs can have catastrophic consequences. Although considered challenging to learn and execute well, work domain analysis can be used as a framework to assist in the design of these systems. Work Domain Analysis: Concepts, Guidelines, and Cases helps you develop a deep understanding of this framework—not by oversimplifying the principles but by explaining its concepts and methodology in considerable depth. Building on the foundational concepts of cognitive work analysis by providing the first comprehensive treatment of work domain analysis, the book begins with fundamental topics such as abstraction, decomposition, and structural means-ends and part-whole relations, clearly outlining the basic characteristics of a work domain model. It then explores more advanced topics such as the development of multiple models of a system and the distinction between causal and intentional systems and illustrates them with numerous examples across a range of systems including warships, libraries, and petrochemical plants. It also provides comprehensive guidelines for performing work domain analysis. The author provides three detailed case studies that examine the impact, unique contribution, and feasibility of applying work domain analysis in industrial settings. These case studies demonstrate that work domain analysis can be used to address a range of problems beyond interface design, such as team design, training, and the evaluation of system design concepts. They also provide concrete illustrations of the guidelines for work domain analysis. Without an appreciation of the variety of applications of work domain analysis, and its suitability for implementation in industrial settings, the benefits of this approach may not be fully realized. This book supplies the deep knowledge of this tool that will lead both to more powerful and innovative applications of the approach and to designs that support flexibility or adaptation in the workplace, making systems safer, healthier, and more productive for workers.

Fundamentals of Risk Management for Process Industry Engineers outlines foundational principles of human-centered, sociotechnical risk management, and how they can be applied to deliver real improvements in risk identification, understanding, analysis, control, communication, and governance. To maximize sustainable competitiveness requires the identification and optimization of the range of risks that can impact a business. Hence, understanding the foundational principles of sociotechnical risk management is required to design and execute effective risk identification, optimization, and management strategies. Covers the foundations of risk management Explains how risk management and professional engineering practice are interrelated Describes the role and importance of humans in risk management activities Discusses the fundamentals surrounding how to identify, assess, treat, monitor, and review risks in high hazard industries Presents the range of operational risks faced by process companies, including safety and health, environmental and social risk, project risk, and supply chain risk

This book serves as a foundation to the field of HCI, equipping readers with the necessary knowledge and skills to engage in this field. This book Discusses human functionalities and characteristics relevant to interaction, including sensory perception, attention and memory, language and communication, emotions, decision-making, as well as mental models, human error, and human actions. Explores the evolution of HCI design approaches and the role of social and organizational psychology in HCI Discusses key concepts and societal aspects of interactive technologies, such as user acceptance, ethics, privacy, and trust. Covers the historical background, contributing disciplines, essential concepts, and theories within the domain. This book will appeal to individuals interested in Human–Computer Interaction research and applications.