Methodological issues in the study of human factors in teleinformatic systems

The rapid technological developments in teleinformatics and their many implications for their users means that a human-factors contribution to both research and application is very pressing. This paper reviews the methodological problems confronting human-factors specialists in making this contribution. It examines methodological issues in research and design at the levels of (i) the man-computer interface and (ii) the organizational implications. The paper ends by presenting an idealized, integrated strategy which emphasizes action research to give priority to multidisciplinary teams of information technologists and human and social scientists working together to construct and evaluate telelinformatic systems.     

Methodological issues in the study of human factors in teleinformatic systems

Abstract

The rapid technological developments in teleinformatics and their many implications for their users means that a human-factors contribution to both research and application is very pressing. This paper reviews the methodological problems confronting human-factors specialists in making this contribution. It examines methodological issues in research and design at the levels of (i) the man-computer interface and (ii) the organizational implications. The paper ends by presenting an idealized, integrated strategy which emphasizes action research to give priority to multidisciplinary teams of information technologists and human and social scientists working together to construct and evaluate telelinformatic systems.     

A taxonomy and current issues in multidatabase systems

A taxonomy of global information-sharing systems is presented, and the way in which multidatabase systems fit into the spectrum of solutions is discussed. The taxonomy is used as a basis for defining multidatabase systems. Issues associated with multidatabase systems are reviewed. Two major design approaches for multidatabases, global schema systems and multidatabase language systems, are described. Existing multidatabase projects and areas for further research are also discussed     

Designing multimedia learning environments using animated pedagogical agents: factors and issues

Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) are known to possess great potential in supporting learning because of their ability to simulate a real classroom learning environment. But research in this area has produced mixed results. The reason for this remains puzzling. This paper is written with two purposes: (1) to examine some recent research and organize the findings in terms of classroom characteristics, and (2) to discuss and reveal any uncovered issues pertaining to the findings and provide input whenever possible. A framework formed by using APA characteristics, APA presentation, and learners' characteristics is used to analyse past research findings. The findings from the analysis reveal that because APAs are regarded as social members similar to humans, they are more effective in engaging learners in environments that require social communication and interactions. They therefore produce more definitive results in terms of affective gain and group learning. But such conditions also impose greater demand on designers to create more complex learning environments that can provide interactions with several agents and yet maintain a mode of communication that is pedagogically effective. The challenges for creating such environment include using an agent's gestures to duplicate its speech in instruction, which is usually uncommon in human practice, overcoming the needs to use input–output interface for communication and taking into consideration the possible influence of the learners' characteristics such as their sensory preference. This paper suggests that APAs' application in instruction should be seen in the light of affordances and be designed within its own practical limits.     

A note on human factors issues of natural language interaction with database systems

Efforts at constructing natural language computer systems have turned to implementing database query facilities. If the application domain is limited there is renewed hope for the success of natural language interfaces. This paper reviews arguments for and against such facilities, stresses research in human semantic knowledge, and emphasizes controlled psychologically oriented experimentation. The results of recent experiments are reported.     

Designing methods of human interface for supervisory control systems

In this paper, methods of designing human interfaces for supervisory control systems are proposed. Human factors engineering is applied to hardware systems design, especially layout design, in terms of visual field and visual angle. Cognitive engineering is applied to software systems design, especially the design and evaluation of constructing screens, using the DEMATEL method of analyzing structure. To compensate for the limitations of the design approach above and to optimize supervisory control burdens, an expert system that prompts the operator to change to the right screen at the right time is proposed.     

Evaluating human factors in augmented reality systems

Augmented reality (AR) has been part of computer graphics methodology for decades. A number of prototype AR systems have shown the possibilities this paradigm creates. Mixing graphical annotations and objects in a user's view of the surrounding environment offers a powerful metaphor for conveying information about that environment. AR systems' potential still exceeds the practice. In fact, most AR systems remain laboratory prototypes. There are several reasons for this; two of the most prominent are that researchers need more advanced hardware than currently available to implement the systems, and (the subject of this article) the AR research community needs to resolve human factors issues. AR systems are usually interactive; thus, we must verify usability to determine if the system is effective.     

Designing microprocessorbased systems

The advent of microprocessors has meant that the use of electronic devices has permeated virtually all fields of work; e.g. industry, offices, hospitals, and educational institutions. It is, therefore, important to have some appreciation of how microprocessorbased systems are designed. In this paper, the range of issues to be considered in designing a microprocessor-based system is discussed. First, the criteria for selecting a microprocessor are discussed, and second, the hardware and software aspects of designing systems with microprocessors are examined.     

Designing context-sensitive systems: An integrated approach

Context-sensitive systems (CSS) are computer systems that use context to provide more relevant services or information to support users performing their tasks, where context is any information that can be used to characterize the situation in which something exists or occurs. CSS demand that designers consider new aspects and challenges in comparison to traditional applications. In a preliminary experiment, we observed that developers find it difficult to include the concept of context in their applications. However, only few approaches offer integrated domain-independent support on developing CSS. This paper presents an integrated approach to assist the design of CSS. The originality of this work lies on the proposed way of thinking about context, on the proposed context metamodel and on the specification of a process for designing CSS. The metamodel supports building context models by making explicit the concepts related to context manipulation and by separating the context structure model from the CSS behavior model. The design process details the main activities related to context specification and the design of CSS, providing a systematic way to execute these tasks. This work also advances the state of the art related to the understanding of the concept of context (and its associated concepts). Three experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the proposal: its instantiation in the design of a context-sensitive Expert Recommender System, its usage by distinct designers on their CSS projects, and a qualitative evaluation of the overall proposal by experienced CSS developers. These studies showed a good acceptance of our approach and indicated the feasibility of using it on real projects.     

ITSC 05: current issues and research trends

The IEEE held its eighth annual International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems 05 in Vienna, Austria. This was ITSC's first time in Europe and its first time as the annual conference of the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society. The conference featured over 200 papers and hosted approximately 300 attendees, representing 35 countries. Furthermore, it exemplified the extraordinary progress ITS theory and applications have made over the last decade toward improving transportation systems' safety, efficiency, and quality. In this paper, we review the topics covered at ITSC 05, providing a broad overview of the field's current research programs and projects.     

Making human factors effective in industry: examples from business telephone systems

Contributions by human factors to all phases of the product development cycle are illustrated by work done on business telephone systems. The work includes surveys of customer needs, laboratory tests of alternative physical designs and control procedures, development of efficient and effective instructional methods, field studies of delivery systems, and field evaluations of the final product. It is also demonstrated that data from applied studies can lead to general principles which are useful in other situations. Finally, suggestions are given about effective timing and organisational structure for human factors work.     

Fundamentals of systems ergonomics/human factors

Ergonomics/human factors is, above anything else, a systems discipline and profession, applying a systems philosophy and systems approaches. Many things are labelled as system in today's world, and this paper specifies just what attributes and notions define ergonomics/human factors in systems terms. These are obviously a systems focus, but also concern for context, acknowledgement of interactions and complexity, a holistic approach, recognition of emergence and embedding of the professional effort involved within organization system. These six notions are illustrated with examples from a large body of work on rail human factors.     

Designing better shift systems

The results of some intervention studies on the effects of the change from weekly rotating to quicker rotating shift systems are presented. Consequently, the following recommendations for the design of shift systems according to physiological, psychological and social criteria are discussed: (1) Nightwork should be reduced as much as possible. If this is not possible, quickly rotating shift systems are preferable to slowly rotating ones. Permanent nightwork does not seem to be recommendable for the majority of shiftworkers. (2) Extended workdays (9-12 hours) should only be contemplated when the nature of work and the workload are suitable for extended working hours, and the shift system is designed to minimize the accumulation of fatigue and toxic exposure is limited. (3) An early start for the morning shift should be avoided. Flexible working time arrangements can be achieved in all shift systems. The highest flexibility is possible in the so-called 'time autonomous groups'. (4) Quick changeovers (e.g. from night shift to afternoon shift on the same day) should be avoided. The number of consecutive working days should be limited to five-seven. Every shift system should include some free weekends with at least two consecutive days off. (5) The forward rotation (phase delay, clockwise rotation: morning/evening/night shift) would seem to be most preferred.     

Designing Holonic manufacturing systems

This paper discusses the design of Holonic manufacturing systems (HMS), with emphasis on manufacturing control. First, it discusses the concept of a Holonic system. Second, it presents the HMS reference architecture for manufacturing control. Third, it addresses the overall design problem, i.e. designing both the holonic control system and the underlying manufacturing system. Finally, the paper addresses the design and development of the control software itself.     

Ergonomics issues in future systems

The paper starts by discussing some of the historical background to the design of systems and the development of systems thinking, from the perspective of Ergonomics. This is followed by an attempt to describe the likely future for systems design and operation; critical points being that these systems will interoperate with other systems; they will be long-lived; and we cannot afford for them to fail. This leads on to a discussion of complexity and its effects. The paper then goes on to discuss how and why Ergonomics practitioners should be interested in these effects. This includes dealing with intrinsic complexity (inherent in the purposes of the system) and induced complexity (introduced by the the organization, process design and operation of the system), the significance of trust, shared situation awareness and sense-making, the need for excellent communications, the importance of knowledge, experience and governance. Finally, a brief section, pointing to other sources, outlines possible approaches for designing these future systems.     

Ergonomics issues in future systems

The paper starts by discussing some of the historical background to the design of systems and the development of systems thinking, from the perspective of Ergonomics. This is followed by an attempt to describe the likely future for systems design and operation; critical points being that these systems will interoperate with other systems; they will be long-lived; and we cannot afford for them to fail. This leads on to a discussion of complexity and its effects. The paper then goes on to discuss how and why Ergonomics practitioners should be interested in these effects. This includes dealing with intrinsic complexity (inherent in the purposes of the system) and induced complexity (introduced by the the organization, process design and operation of the system), the significance of trust, shared situation awareness and sense-making, the need for excellent communications, the importance of knowledge, experience and governance. Finally, a brief section, pointing to other sources, outlines possible approaches for designing these future systems.     

Designing user-friendly software systems

Human-machine interaction should be pleasant and cordial. However, to make a computer function in this manner, its software must be properly designed. The paper explores the range of issues to be considered in designing a software system which is easy and enjoyable for users to use.     

Designing safety-critical computer systems

The ubiquitous computer is the electronic component of choice for system developers, who increasingly exploit computing's power in safety-critical applications such as steer-by-wire automotive systems and powered prosthetics. However, these computer-based systems raise the ongoing concern that they might fail and cause harm. Exploring the systematic design of safety-critical computer systems helps to show how engineers can verify that these designs will be safe. Achieving risk reduction requires dealing with all the system's components: hardware and software, sensors, effectors, the operator, and the primary source of harmful energy or toxicity: the application.     

Automated assistance for human factors analysis in complex systems

A tool and a method for scenario-based workload assessment and performance validation in complex socio-technical systems design, such as command and control rooms of military vessels, are described. We assess workload in terms of communication and the task load that each agent is able to handle. The method employs subjective task and communication estimates used to calculate the workload of human operators, using static and scenario-based analyses. This enables the identification of bottlenecks to be addressed by the designer with the appropriate allocation of function between humans and smart technology. This task is supported by the functional allocation adviser tool. A case study demonstrating the use of the tool for the design of the command and control room of a military vessel is presented.