Employing Simulation to Evaluate Designs: The APEX Approach

Computer simulation could be used to reduce the cost of designing human-machine systems, just as it is currently used in the design process for inanimate systems such as electronic circuits. However, past efforts have met with limited success due to difficulties modeling the human components of these systems. We have constructed a software framework and methodology for modeling human performance, APEX, that addresses several of these difficulties. This paper describes a methodology for using APEX to evaluate designs in complex, dynamic task environments; we then illustrate this process using an example from the domain of air traffic control.

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