The Cognitive Engineering Laboratory develops and applies cognitive engineering theory, frameworks and methods. Our enduring goal is to help people adapt to the novelty and change that characterize sociotechnical systems. Over the past decade, we’ve conducted this work predominantly in the natural resource and energy sectors.
The CEL has proposed, developed and employed several conceptual frameworks. Cognitive Work Analysis is a formative, constraint-based framework for analyzing complex sociotechnical systems. Ecological Interface Design is a theory-driven framework for human-machine interface design. Finally, we have adopted Lee’s conceptual model of trust in, and reliance on, automation to guide the study of, and design for, human-automation interaction.