Methodological Issues for Evaluation of Interfaces : A Case for Representative Designs

particular goal. This is an abstract ideal because it is unconstrained by the design of the crew station and the information that is actually available to the crew member. Definition of the physically realizable ideal introduces the constraint of a real crew station. It is the information and knowledge that a crew member could obtain, given the current information sources in the workplace, that is, the current suite of displays and controls. It places no constraints on the information processing capacities and limitations of the crew member. Finally, we think in terms of a practically realizable ideal, what any real individual might be able to achieve under the best of circumstances, taking into account typical human performance capacities and limitations. It sets the standard against which to evaluate how well an individual performed given the system he or she had to work with. The definition of the abstract ideal helps us to understand what might be accomplished with better design and implementat ion. Pew (1994, p. 2) What do these calls for representative experimental design imply for research to evaluate interfaces? We believe the implication is that the interface should not be dissected from the functional work domain. The dissection of interface from its natural work domain destroys the interactions from which meaning emerges within the medium. Thus, it becomes impossible to evaluate the interface in terms of structural truth or in terms of normative models of what the operator ought to know or ought to do given the constraints of a particular problem or work space. This does not mean that we must give up reductionism. The implication is that experimenters must consider the medium in terms of the interactions among task environment, action, and perception. The problem must be parsed in light of those interactions so that functional meaning is preserved in the laboratory. The laboratory environment will always be different from the actual work environment, however, the laboratory environment should be structured so that functional meanings are represented as fully as possible. A F e w R e p r e s e n t a t i v e C a s e s

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