Cognition, Technology & Work

Growth of novel small-scale technologies (micro- and nanotechnology) is expected to change the nature of work in the future. Currently, Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) research in small-scale technologies, especially nanotechnology, is in its infancy. Since small-scale technologies are expected to bring about radical changes, aligning HFE to these technologies allows for usable products from the inception, rather than an afterthought. This paper presents an ethnographic study conducted on lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology in the area of small-scale fluidics. LOC devices are small devices where laboratory processes are shrunk into miniature size, often no bigger than a credit card. LOC technology promises low-cost point-of-care devices in health care, as well as applications in other emerging sectors. In this study, the fabrication and testing of the LOC devices using soft lithography techniques were addressed in detail. Specifically, it is shown that device fabrication in the laboratory entails a considerable amount of skilled workmanship on part of the researcher. Further, this study was conducted at a research laboratory at the University of Waterloo. Addressing laboratory research as a domain of study is a novel venture for HFE. With the growth of universities as major players in the innovation system, the university research laboratory has emerged as an important aspect of the commercialization and technology transfer process. Thus, conducting research in university laboratories will, in the long run, allow HFE professionals to play a greater role in the innovation process linking the university, industry and society. Thus, emphasizing the principle: good economics requires good ergonomics.

As part of a programme to investigate the requirements for computer-based detection aids in the NHS breast screening programme, we have been studying how the work of mammogram reading is done within different screening centres. Our findings show how various interactional practices have been evolved in order to help maintain readers’ performance within acceptable levels. In this paper, we investigate one of these in detail, the use of annotations on screening reporting forms, and we consider their role in managing readers’ performance. Finally, we consider the implications of such practices for the design of computer-based systems and tools for breast screening.

Advanced warfare technologies (AWT) create unprecedented capabilities to control the delivery of military force up to the point, some argue, that we are loosing humanity. But dependence on them generates difficult moral challenges impacting the decision-making process, which are only beginning to be addressed. In order to arrive at an informed opinion about the impact of AWT on decision-making, we need to know more about what AWTs are and how they operate. We provide a short overview of the different types of AWTs and discuss the key principles that underlie Humanitarian Law. We also discuss the impact of physical distance and increased levels of autonomy on AWT and discuss the challenges posed to moral perception. Before such systems can be deployed, we need to rest assured that their usage enhances, rather than undermines, human decision-making capacities. There are important choices to be made, and sound design is ‘design for responsibility’. As a solution, we therefore propose the partnership architecture that embeds concurrent views of the world and working agreements, ensuring that operators use appropriate information in the decision-making process.

Production scheduling has been widely studied in several research areas, resulting in a large number of methods, prescriptions, and approaches. However, the impact on scheduling practice seems relatively low. This is also the case in the food-processing industry, where industry-specific characteristics induce specific and complex scheduling problems. Based on ideas about decomposition of the scheduling task and the production process, we develop an analysis methodology for scheduling problems in food processing. This combines an analysis of structural (technological) elements of the production process with an analysis of the tasks of the scheduler. This helps to understand, describe, and structure scheduling problems in food processing, and forms a basis for improving scheduling and applying methods developed in literature. It also helps in evaluating the organisational structures and information flows related to scheduling.

Teamwork is prevalent in many work contexts. This study explored the similarities and differences in teamwork processes across different healthcare work contexts with the aim of assessing knowledge transfer feasibility. The research approach was to aggregate team communication analyses from four healthcare contexts to uncover teamwork similarities and differences. The four healthcare contexts included two handoffs and two surgery contexts. The communication analysis segmented communication into meaningful sequences. It categorized utterances into content categories and verbal behaviors. There were a few similar content categories across the four contexts. A clear information structure emerged in the two handoff contexts. In addition, there were more dialogues and requests in the surgeries compared to more reports in the handoffs. The content similarities suggest that some knowledge is transferable among the contexts. However, the differences in communication patterns reflect fundamental differences between handoff and surgery contexts in some teamwork processes. This research demonstrated that using communication analysis can uncover similarities and differences in team cognition and teamwork processes across work contexts. This in turn can help determine what knowledge and methods pertaining to team training, procedures, and technology are transferable across the contexts.

Simulator training is becoming increasingly important for training of time-critical and dynamic situations. Hence, how simulator training in such domains is planned, carried out and followed up becomes important. Based on a model prescribing such crucial aspects, ten decision-making training simulator facilities have been analyzed from an activity theoretical perspective. The analysis reveals several conflicts that exist between the training that is carried out and the defined training objectives. Although limitations in technology and organization are often alleviated by proficient instructors, it is concluded that there is a need for a structured approach to the design of training to be able to define the competencies and skills that ought to be trained along with relevant measurable training goals. Further, there is a need for a pedagogical model that takes the specifics of simulator training into account. Such a pedagogical model is needed to be able to evaluate the training, and would make it possible to share experiences and make comparisons between facilities in a structured manner.

Ground collisions have serious implications from both a safety and a commercial perspective. This paper reports on human computer interaction (HCI) research related to the advancement of a collision avoidance system, for use by Pilots operating on the airport ramp and in taxiway areas. Primarily, this paper focuses on the key findings of this research and the emerging HCI design solution.