The purpose of this research was to determine how the principles of EID could be applied to systems that are larger in scale than that which had been previously used as a testbed for evaluating EID (e.g., AECL 93). The focus of this initial feasibility study was the feedwater subsystem of the ABB conventional power plant simulator. The primary outcome of this research was a prototype interface for the feedwater subsystem that is based on the EID framework. The main findings of this study were: a) a proof of concept showing that the principles of EID can be meaningfully applied to a larger-scale design problem representative of those found in the nuclear industry; b) EID needs to be supplemented by more specific interface design principles; and c) it is possible to effectively integrate EID with these other design principles. Therefore, EID seems to be a viable candidate for the design of advanced computer interfaces for complex industrial plants.

This project was a continuation of ABB 94 and explored ideas for integrating functional information in an interface for the ABB conventional power plant. This project included a review and evaluation of previous attempts to include functional information in process control interfaces. This study shed light on the additional considerations that need to be taken account when applying EID to an industrial-scale problem, where functional and physical information for the entire system cannot be represented on one display screen, as it is in the P+F interface for the smaller DURESS II microworld. As well, some display concepts were developed for the ABB plant.

This project was a continuation of ABB 95. A literature review was conducted examining the problems with computer interfaces for large systems. Theories of navigation and design concepts for aiding navigation were also reviewed. This project revealed that the loss of functional linking and connecting information was an area of EID most vulnerable to the design of ecological interfaces for large systems. This project cumulated in a plan for an investigation of the effects of different approaches to integration on large scale ecological interface design. This plan was executed in ABB 97.

This project was the final leg of the ABB research series culminating in an experimental investigation. Based on an abstraction hierarchy of the ABB plant made in ABB 96, views were created for each cell of the abstraction hierarchy. These views were then integrated in three different ways based on a novel use of a space-time approach to describing integration. The details of this approach are available in CEL 97-05 and Burns (1998). The three displays employed low spatial-high temporal integration, high spatial-low temporal integration, and high spatial-high temporal integration of means-end information. Subjects performed information search tasks as well as fault detection and diagnosis tasks. It was found that the spatial and temporal proximity of means-end related information affects the traversal of means-end connections. In particular, high spatial and temporal integration resulted in significantly faster and more accurate fault diagnosis performance. This research is a unique look at integration issues with a large plant simulation and helps to expand the application of ecological interface design to large systems.

This design project applied EID to the renewable energy domain, specifically to a Race Strategy display for the University of Toronto Solar Car Team.  Many of the challenges faced in Solar Car Racing will be relevant to widespread adoption of renewable energy transportation technologies.  The visual and accessible nature of this project and its publications is intended to promote collaboration with renewable energy researchers.

DB2 is a complex relational database application that presents difficult challenges to enterprise database administrators (DBAs). For that reason, the IBM Toronto Labs has a dedicated User Experience Team for DB2. IBM has undertaken a new thrust to incorporate autonomic computing into DB2. An acknowledged challenge in meeting this objective is engendering user trust in the automation. The purpose of this research program is to develop a design framework for appropriate operator trust in, and reliance on, automation.

The purpose of this first stage was to determine the applicability of Lee and See’s conceptual model of automation reliance to recently-developed automated functionality within DB2, specifically, to critique interfaces and documentation based on the three categories of attributional abstraction (purpose, process and performance) identified by the model.

This project was a continuation of [CAS 04] and explored the potential impact of CWA on a “policy-based” approach to automation administration. In addition, a field study of operational database administrators (DBAs) was conducted to investigate their interaction with DB2 and with automation within DB2. This field study shed light on DBAs’ reliance on procedures and practice in development environments (“sandboxes”) to ensure database availability. In this environment, it is important that automation be transparent in its processes and in reporting its performance in order to gain operators’ trust in a high-availability environment.
Additionally, a framework was developed to leverage the Abstraction Hierarchy to describe an automated tool in such a way as to identify relevant purpose-, process- and performance-related information.

This project was a continuation of [CAS 04] and [CAS 05]. The framework developed in [CAS 05] was applied to a new automated tool in DB2, to identify information from multiple levels of attributional abstraction. The results of this analysis were applied to a subsequent release of DB2, where the information identified by the analysis was added to documentation and clarified in logs generated by the automation

We constructed a high fidelity process simulator suite in which we can design, deploy, and evaluate novel information applications to support operators in the process industries (e.g., refining and chemical production). Research conducted in this simulator will improve the productivity of the joint worker/information technology team. Major components of the infrastructure include simulation and control software (MiMiC and DeltaV), operator work stations, sensing and control equipment (Foundation Fieldbus), and a dry laboratory to house the equipment. The simulator is connected to a research network, allowing researchers at Ontario Universities, Colleges, and private-sector partners to use the infrastructure remotely. Effective use of information technology by operations teams is a key factor in establishing safe and productive manufacturing facilities. Thus, the research will benefit both Canadian industry and public health through improvements in worker use of information technology.

In Phase 2 of the project [HTC 97], we mapped the integrated information requirements into a pair of ecological interfaces. One interface (P+F) contained information exclusively from the system-based model while the other interface (P+F+T) contained information from both system- and task-based models. An iterative design approach was used in which process engineers and operators critiqued early designs. The final designs were implemented in software, connected to a full-scope industry simulator, and validated. An empirical evaluation compared operator performance on the two ecological interfaces and the contemporary interface.

A number of researchers have observed that glass cockpit displays tend to be opaque, and that this makes it difficult for the flight crew to develop accurate and comprehensive mental models of system functioning, thereby leading to errors in abnormal situations. However, few researchers have suggested how to create better functional visualizations of system behavior, and even fewer have provided examples of what such advanced displays might look like. This research describes how the principles of ecological interface design (EID), a framework developed in the context of process control, can be applied in aviation to design engineering systems status displays. A prototype EID interface for the fuel and engines of a Lockheed Hercules C-130 Model E-H aircraft was constructed using the VAPS prototyping tool. This study shows, for the first time, that EID can be meaningfully applied to aviation.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are rapidly becoming an integral part of contemporary military operations. In light of advanced technologies in UAV flight and payload systems, the role of UAV operators is evolving from an active system controller into a passive system monitor. However, human operators are known to be ill-suited for monitoring tasks due to their inappropriate trust in automated systems. Previous research suggests that two types of information are essential in generating appropriate trust in automation: information of automation process and information related to contexts in which systems are used.

The goal of this research was to create innovative cognitive artifacts that could communicate the aforementioned information to UAV operators for the purpose of engendering appropriate trust in automation on UAVs. The work items included: analyzing the changing tasks of UAV crews; categorizing the emerging automation technologies in UAV systems; reviewing UAV human-automation research; introducing two human-machine interface concepts for selected types of UAV automation; and proposing a research plan for testing and evaluating these design concepts.

Friendly fire is an enduring problem in modern warfare. Investigations have revealed that human errors in combat identification (CID) played a major part in most friendly fire incidents. Automated CID systems, which often comprise “question and answer systems”, have been developed and provided to soldiers. However, both field observations and empirical data suggest that soldiers tend to overly trust in and rely on these automated systems which are in fact not perfectly reliable.

The purpose of this study is to support soldiers’ appropriate trust in CID systems. This study includes two phases: in the first phase, we will conduct two successive experiments to explore soldiers’ interaction with a CID system and discover crucial information that can engender soldiers’ appropriate trust in the system; in the second phase, we will design an interface for the system based on the findings in the first phase.

While previous research has tended to apply the principles of Ecological Interface Design (EID) to create revolutionary interfaces in primarily physical work domains, this research applies EID principles to create evolutionary interfaces in the primarily social work domain of emergency medical services (EMS) dispatching. In EMS dispatching, even state-of-the-art interfaces can be described as “single-sensor-single indicator”, and most of the information shown to dispatchers in conventional interfaces are neither abstracted (i.e., translated from physical descriptions to functional descriptions) nor aggregated (i.e., translated from per-unit descriptions to system-wide descriptions). We have designed new interfaces that are intended to enhance, rather than replace, current interfaces by providing additional information such as: response times to individual emergency calls (which serve as heuristic measures of each patient’s probability of survival), response times aggregated across emergency calls, coverage of priority posting areas, resource availability, resource allocation, and resource utilization over time. An experiment involving current, experienced emergency ambulance dispatchers was conducted to compare the new interface (used in conjunction with the conventional interface) against the conventional interface (used in isolation). While the new interface was not shown to improve performance directly, it received favourable subjective ratings from the dispatchers. Specifically, most displays within the new interface were rated by most dispatchers as having helpful content and logical structure; all displays within the new interface were rated by all dispatchers as having intuitive visual form; and most dispatchers preferred to have the new interface. As part of this project, a first-of-its-kind simulator was developed to support the interface evaluation. A version of this simulator was acquired by EMS to support their training activities.

This project was one of the first to explore how cognitive engineering principles can be applied to financial systems. The target of analysis was a type of mutual fund called a structured product, which is controlled by a team of portfolio managers. A Work Domain Analysis (WDA) was conducted to model the constraints that shape the actions of the portfolio management team. In doing so, the traditional WDA framework was modified to accommodate the characteristics of a financial system. The resulting work domain representation was used to evaluate the information artifact currently used by mangers of the structured product. The comparison revealed gaps in the information provided by the current system and highlighted target areas for improving the support provided to portfolio managers. Preliminary findings also indicated that the finance industry could benefit from the application of this cognitive engineering precept.

Canadians make up one of the world’s largest consumer groups; the Living Planet Report (2006) announced that Canadian consumption has led its citizens to become the owners of the fourth-largest per capita “ecological footprint” in the world.  A method of increasing consumer awareness about the impact of this behaviour is of great importance.  It is proposed that this will be achieved by supplying the true economic and environmental impact of individual and/or household consumption in a meaningful and timely fashion.  Differing forms and methods of supplying this information are being explored to determine the most intelligible and intuitive way to represent said information with the goal of curbing Canadian citizens’ burgeoning consumption behaviour.

The goal of this project was to foster an integrated systems approach to information management for petrochemical processes. To do so, the Ecological Interface Design (EID) framework has been employed. In keeping with that framework, an Abstraction Hierarchy (AH) for a simplified, yet representative, petrochemical process has been built. This work domain representation has been reviewed by subject matter experts who have confirmed its accuracy. The AH was then employed as a basis for evaluation of the information available to current operators. Finally, the design principles prescribed by EID were employed to map the content and structure of the AH onto visual forms. The result is an innovative, prototype ecological interface for a representative petrochemical process.

This project is a continuation of CAS 04], [CAS 05] and [CAS 06]. An experiment has been designed to determine the impact of information from multiple levels of attributional abstraction on the resolution of database administrator trust in new automation. External factors, including general personal trust, are also being measured in order to determine their impact on operator trust and reliance decisions.

The purpose of this project was to conduct research on how to design adaptive human-computer interfaces (HCI) for supervisory control of process control plants and aviation systems in practice. Such interfaces were context-sensitive in that the form or content of information changed as a function of plant or aviation system state, operator or pilot task, or some other goal-relevant dynamic variable. The project was built on CEL's previous work on cognitive work analysis (CWA) and Ecological Interface Design. This project also included research on aligning the application of CWA as the standard design method of human-computer interactive systems to conform to "ISO13407: Human Centered Design Process Standard." This was a collaborative project between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and CEL. Mr. Hori of MHI spent the project period as a visiting researcher in CEL.

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the generalizability of Ecological Interface Design (EID) to a new work domain. Computer networks provide a source of complexity unique among domains studied from the perspective of EID: because of the ability of network operators to add and remove devices, and change configurations, the work domain itself is much more fluid than those previously studied. A prototype interface was created to test the validity of Rasmussen’s Abstraction Hierarchy in determining information requirements that would assist users in monitoring a network to detect and diagnose faults. A pilot experiment was conducted to test the interface in an experimental setting; this was followed by a more complete experiment, the results of which faster detection times, improved rate of detection under higher loads, and improved quality of diagnosis (with greater consistency under higher loads) indicate that the EID framework is applicable to this new domain.

This work was motivated by an applied problem (i.e., how to improve the design of existing human-computer interfaces for network management) and a basic research question (i.e., how ecological interface design (EID) can support collaborative work). We completed a position paper to summarize why EID is expected to provide support for collaborative work in complex sociotechnical systems. We also conducted a field study at a network operating centre in industry to understand the cognitive and collaborative demands associated with real-time network management, and the state-of-the-art in human-computer interfaces for network management. We then proposed two different approaches to modelling heterogeneous telecommunication networks that provide service to diverse end users, both of which utilized the abstraction hierarchy (Rasmussen, 1986) framework. These two approaches have the potential to yield vastly different EID interfaces, even if both are intended to support work in the same work domain.

This project, CEL's first in the health care domain, resulted from the work of two undergraduate theses conducted in cooperation with the Toronto General Hospital. The hypothesis explored in this work was that, by adopting HF design principles, the use of medical equipment can be made safer and more efficient. A commercially available patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) machine was selected as a vehicle to test this hypothesis. A cognitive task analysis of PCA usage, combined with a set of HF design principles, led to a redesigned PCA interface. An experimental evaluation was conducted, comparing this new interface with the existing interface. The results showed that the new interface leads to significantly faster, less effortful, and more reliable performance. These findings have important implications for improving the design of other computer-based medical equipment.

This project built upon the work of PCA92. In the first phase of this project, an analysis was conducted of incident reports related to PCA devices. The results showed that human errors, specifically, programming errors made by nurses during the PCA setup procedure, are the primary cause of injuries and deaths associated with the particular PCA device we were studying. In the second phase of this work, we investigated whether a redesigned interface, developed previously in PCA92, would help to reduce programming errors and improve efficiency. Thus, two experiments were conducted, the first with student nurses and the second with recovery room nurses, comparing computer simulations of the current and redesigned PCA interfaces. The results demonstrated that the findings obtained previously in the pilot experiment of PCA92, that is, significantly fewer programming errors and faster programming times with the redesigned interface, could be replicated with both novice users (student nurses) and with actual end users (recovery room nurses) who already had extensive experience with the current interface. These findings provide strong empirical evidence that patient safety and the efficiency of medical device operation can be significantly improved by adopting a human factors approach to interface design.

A comparative evaluation of two alternative interface design approaches was performed. The two frameworks, Ecological Interface Design (EID) and Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), were both applied to the design of the Control Display Unit (CDU) interface of the CH-146 helicopter. The CDU function of radio communication was studied. A work domain analysis of the radio communication domain and a PCT-based analysis modeling pilot-CDU interactions were conducted. Both analyses resulted in the identification of interface design requirements. A qualitative comparison of the similarities and differences of these requirements was made. EID- and PCT-based interfaces were designed based on these requirements. The effectiveness of these interfaces was assessed by means of an analytical evaluation using task situations of radio communications performed under normal and abnormal circumstances. The evaluation demonstrated that both interfaces supported radio exchanges under normal operations. However, the EID interface permitted support for diagnostic activities during abnormal operations whereas the PCT interface failed to do so.

Currently, the information readily accessible to Toronto Water operators does not support a rapid response to contamination events. Water samples are taken at a limited number of locations and at infrequent time intervals. In addition, the samples are tested for only a select number of contaminants and operators can wait up to several months for the test results.

The purpose of this project is to develop a graphical interface for an Intelligent Situation Assessment Unit (ISAU) that will use sensor-integration technology to detect contaminants in the City of Toronto’s water system. Not only will the interface utilize real-time and historical sensor data, but it will also incorporate external non-sensor information, such as customer water quality complaints and patterns of symptoms appearing in the healthcare system. With this integrated information, the operator will be better able to rapidly respond to natural, accidental and intentional contamination events.

The microcomputer revolution of the 1980s allowed economical development of simulations for a wide range of domains.  While classical stimulus-response representations are simplified to eliminate many phenomena of interest, conventional high-fidelity simulations of complex systems can produce very difficult to interpret results.  Abstract ‘microworlds’ such as DURESS II have shown some of the strengths of both extremes and have been widely used for human factors research.  Recently, a need has been identified for a theoretical framework to guide the design of simulators, the selection of appropriate levels of fidelity, and the generation of useful simulated scenarios.  This project generalizes from successful applications of Cognitive Work Analysis to military training simulators (Naikar 2002) and provides a theoretical basis for applying analysis results to design.