Both optimization techniques and expert systems technologies are popular approaches for developing tools to assist in complex problem-solving tasks. Because of the underlying complexity of many such tasks, however, the models of the world implicitly or explicitly embedded in such tools are often incomplete and the problem-solving methods fallible. The result can be "brittleness" in situations that were not anticipated by the system designers. To deal with this weakness, it has been suggested that "cooperative" rather than "automated" problem-solving systems be designed. Such cooperative systems are proposed to explicitly enhance the collaboration of the person (or a group of people) and the computer system. This study evaluates the impact of alternative design concepts on the performance of 30 airline pilots interacting with such a cooperative system designed to support en-route flight planning. The results clearly demonstrate that different system design concepts can strongly influence the cognitive processes and resultant performances of users. Based on think-aloud protocols, cognitive models are proposed to account for how features of the computer system interacted with specific types of scenarios to influence exploration and decision making by the pilots. The results are then used to develop recommendations for guiding the design of cooperative systems.
Aviation Safety Inspectors make up the inspection team of the Flight Standards Service, which is responsible for enforcing the laws governing civil aviation. We are developing pen-computer-based job performance aids to assist the inspectors in their job duties. These aids provide inspectors with tools for data collection and on-line documentation. The tools eliminate redundant data recording, prevent errors, increase capabilities, and support quick retrieval of up-to-date regulatory information.
There are a number of interacting constraints that affect the development of mobile electronic performance support systems (Gery, 1991). For example, users frequently want the resources of a desktop computer in a palm-sized box. Hardware technology, however, dictates that the greater the resources, the larger the device. Mobile electronic performance support systems are frequently initiated as a means to 'automate' manual processes. However, such processes must be redesigned to match the capabilities and requirements of mobile computing platforms. As a final example, the desktop conventions of "new, open, and save" used when working with documents are not necessarily the best conventions for mobile applications. This paper identifies many of the constraints involved in developing mobile computing applications and discusses them in the context of applications.
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