Evaluating the Impact of New Technology on Human-Machine Cooperation

New technology is changing the face of complex dynamic systems in a wide variety of applications. Given the magnitude, pace and costs of this technological change, errors in the design of human-machine systems need to be detected early in the system development process. This is especially true for high risk domains where design errors can have severe consequences on human-machine system performance. If problems are discovered after a system has been put in service or even late in the design process, the degrees of freedom for modification of the design may be severely reduced due to the costs and commitment involved. In addition, if evidence of possible deficiencies in the human-machine ensemble appears late in the development process, there may be a variety of pressures operating that encourage one to interpret evidence of fundamental design problems as only indicating the usual problems associated with the introduction of any new system.