Key principles for user-centred systems design

The concept of user-centred systems design (UCSD) has no agreed upon definition. Consequently, there is a great variety in the ways it is applied, which may lead to poor quality and poor usability in the resulting systems, as well as misconceptions about the effectiveness of UCSD. The purpose of this paper is to propose a definition of UCSD. We have identified 12 key principles for the adoption of a user-centred development process, principles that are based on existing theory, as well as research in and experiences from a large number of software development projects. The initial set of principles were applied and evaluated in a case study and modified accordingly. These principles can be used to communicate the nature of UCSD, evaluate a development process or develop systems development processes that support a user-centred approach. We also suggest activity lists and some tools for applying UCSD.     

Server-side design principles for scalable Internet systems

This article explores the design principles guiding the creation of scalable systems. Each principle is discussed and followed by examples of its application     

Development of design principles for automated systems in transport control

This article reports the results of a qualitative study investigating attitudes towards and opinions of an advanced automation system currently used in UK rail signalling. In-depth interviews were held with 10 users, key issues associated with automation were identified and the automation's impact on the signalling task investigated. The interview data highlighted the importance of the signallers' understanding of the automation and their (in)ability to predict its outputs. The interviews also covered the methods used by signallers to interact with and control the automation, and the perceived effects on their workload. The results indicate that despite a generally low level of understanding and ability to predict the actions of the automation system, signallers have developed largely successful coping mechanisms that enable them to use the technology effectively. These findings, along with parallel work identifying desirable attributes of automation from the literature in the area, were used to develop 12 principles of automation which can be used to help design new systems which better facilitate cooperative working. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: The work reported in this article was completed with the active involvement of operational rail staff who regularly use automated systems in rail signalling. The outcomes are currently being used to inform decisions on the extent and type of automation and user interfaces in future generations of rail control systems.     

Interacting with the real world: design principles for intelligent systems

The last two decades in the field of artificial intelligence have clearly shown that true intelligence always requires the interaction of an agent with a real physical and social environment. The concept of embodiment that has been introduced to designate the modern approach to designing intelligence has far-reaching implications. Rather than studying computation alone, we must consider the interplay between morphology, materials, brain (control), and the environment. A number of case studies are presented, and it is demonstrated how artificial evolution and morphogenesis can be used to systematically investigate this interplay. Taking these ideas into account requires entirely novel ways of thinking, and often leads to surprising results.This work was presented, in part, at the 9th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 28–30, 2004     

Systems engineering principles for the design of biomedical signal processing systems

Systems engineering aims to produce reliable systems which function according to specification. In this paper we follow a systems engineering approach to design a biomedical signal processing system. We discuss requirements capturing, specification definition, implementation and testing of a classification system. These steps are executed as formal as possible. The requirements, which motivate the system design, are based on diabetes research. The main requirement for the classification system is to be a reliable component of a machine which controls diabetes. Reliability is very important, because uncontrolled diabetes may lead to hyperglycaemia (raised blood sugar) and over a period of time may cause serious damage to many of the body systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. In a second step, these requirements are refined into a formal CSP‖ B model. The formal model expresses the system functionality in a clear and semantically strong way. Subsequently, the proven system model was translated into an implementation. This implementation was tested with use cases and failure cases.Formal modeling and automated model checking gave us deep insight in the system functionality. This insight enabled us to create a reliable and trustworthy implementation. With extensive tests we established trust in the reliability of the implementation.     

A set of ethical principles for design science research in information systems

Over the past decade, design science research (DSR) has re-emerged as an important research paradigm in the field of information systems. However, the approaches currently recommended for conducting design science research do not include an ethical component. Thus, the objective of this paper is to initiate a debate about the need for ethical principles for DSR in Information Systems (IS). To launch this debate, we suggest that a set of ethical principles for DSR in IS must be created. Although the interpretation and application of these principles might not always be straightforward, our argument is that all DSR practitioners in IS should devote at least some time to consider ethical principles.     

A user-centred approach for designing driving support systems: the case of collision avoidance

The work described in this paper is focused on an approach for implementing in real working contexts the guidelines of user-centred design contained in formal standards and in many research studies. The application concerns the EUCLIDE project (enhanced human–machine interface for on vehicle integrated driving support system), which aimed at developing a driving support system to avoid collisions with obstacles in reduced visibility conditions. The design of the system followed a user-centred approach which started by identifying the model of cognition to be applied throughout the whole design process. The definition of the warning strategies of the system was firstly analysed with the aim to achieve the highest balance between a totally supportive system and a non-disturbing system. Then an initial set of design solutions for the human–machine interface was tested in a static driving simulator. A second set of possible interfaces was evaluated in a dynamic simulator before developing a final design. This solution was implemented in two real vehicles and tested in real traffic situations. This paper describes the whole design process and concentrates on the final step of “in-vehicle” integration process. The road tests performed at the end of the whole process are discussed in detail focusing on the safety implications associated with the design solution finally selected and implemented.

Sociotechnical principles for system design

This paper offers a set of sociotechnical principles to guide system design, and some consideration of the role of principles of this kind. The principles extend earlier formulations by Cherns (1976, Human Relations, 29, 783-792; 1987, Human Relations, 40, 153-162). They are intended to apply to the design of new systems, including those incorporating new information technologies and a range of modern management practices and ways of working. They attempt to provide a more integrated perspective than is apparent in existing formulations. The principles are of three broad types: meta, content and process, though they are highly interrelated. They are for use by system managers, users and designers, and by technologists and social scientists. They offer ideas for debate and provide devices through which detailed design discussions can be elaborated. The principles are most likely to be effective if they are relatively freestanding, but supported by relevant methods and tools. The principles are necessary but not sufficient to make a substantial contribution to design practice.     

Standards for ergonomics principles relating to the design of work systems and to mental workload

Starting with some recent developments in standardization in the field of ergonomics principles relating to the design of work systems, an overview is given on standards and ongoing activities in this field, pointing to problems and perspectives, especially in the context of the activities of the different standardization committees. Existing international standards relating to mental workload are described, together with possible future developments in this area.     

Benchmarking the performance of manufacturing control systems: design principles for a web-based simulated testbed

The paper reports the main research activities currently carried out for designing and developing a test-bench service. This service would act as the main reference point for establishing benchmarks on which research results can be compared. These benchmarks will be made available through web technology. The paper, after a first outline of the main features of the project and its overall vision, is particularly focused both on the design principles related to the construction of good benchmark cases and on the technological issues related to the provision of a web-based simulation environment for supporting interactivity between remote scheduling and control systems and a locally resident simulation system.     

The use of architectural principles in the design of certifiably secure systems

The notion of security, as it applies to information processing, encompasses many approaches and a wide variety of desired ends. A great deal of effort has gone into the problem of certifying the security of a system for use in a ‘multi-level’ environment. Both the data and the population of users are assumed to have different (but discernable) characteristics; policies are established to determine the access rights of users to data based upon these characteristics; and the system is deemed secure if and only if it may be shown never to permit violations of the policy. As the policy typically involves both read and write access, this paradigm has relevance to both national security and the private sector, concerned with disclosure and fraudulent modification of data respectively.It has been customary to model the mechanisms enforcing policies as security kernels. The original notion was of a reference monitor with three notable properties, and the security kernel was one possible embodiment of the monitor. This paper argues that the kernel, seen as being at the heart of the operating system, is in need of rethinking in light of the newer architectures (especially those based upon capabilities) and the proliferation of excellent, readily available, supporting software. What is suggested is that an appropriate use of architectural principles, coupled with vigorously applied administrative procedures and some of the advances in technology, might very well serve to form the basis of the demonstration that a system is secure. It will be argued that only such an amalgam of mechanisms will provide sufficient power both to demonstrate the security of a system and to serve as a criterion of certification for those concerned with this type of security.     

First principles of copyright for DRM design

The copyright system's legal, technological, and economic foundations define key concepts that have significant implications for digital rights management (DRM) system design. Extracting the technological, legal, and economic functions of copyright helps us identify principles that should be the basis for the design of DRM systems. However, no system currently supports that set of functions. Neither those who seek to manage authors' rights nor the defenders of access rights are entirely aligned with copy accuracy in that no system motivates and rewards authoring, filtering, and distribution. The most interesting question is how to design a system that completely fulfills the functions as copy accuracy - it would require more than secure storage.     

Design principles for critical incident response systems

The national incident management system (NIMS) was developed so that responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines could work together to respond to natural and manmade disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. The NIMS document provides a set of guidelines about practices but it does not make explicit the design requirements for information systems to support the management of critical incidents. Though there are academic and practitioner papers in the general area of emergency management, there is a lacuna of literature discussing how to design information systems to support critical incident response. In this paper we develop a set of design principles that are grounded in emergency management concepts and also in the insights from the real response managers in the Western New York area. The set of design principles provide a foundation for the development of critical incident response systems.

Key applications for high-assurance systems

The paper consists of project summaries concerning high-assurance systems. Those who are grappling with practical high-assurance design issues report their strategies, the problems they solved, and the challenges that remain. The six summaries represent a cross-section of projects and domains with some strikingly similar challenges. Although they address diverse domains, these reports reveal a set of common criteria for high assurance. Generally speaking, the critical criteria are reliability, availability, safety, timeliness, security and evolvability     

Performance evaluation principles for vector- and multiprocessor systems

Skilful computer system measurement, modelling and performance evaluation techniques are needed for supercomputer architectures. They allow to accurately determine characteristics performance values, to find potential hardware- and software-bottleneck; they also help to efficiently distribute and schedule user tasks. This paper is an extended version of a tutorial contribution at the IEEE CompEuro 87 and surveys fundamental performance issues and their solution for supercomputer architectures.