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Improving dynamic decision making in complex systems through ecological interface design: A research overview
Author(s) -
Vicente Kim J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
system dynamics review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.491
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1099-1727
pISSN - 0883-7066
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1727(199624)12:4<251::aid-sdr108>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - interface (matter) , interface design , computer science , systems engineering , process (computing) , complex system , human–computer interaction , management science , engineering , artificial intelligence , parallel computing , operating system , bubble , maximum bubble pressure method
Research on dynamic decision making in complex systems has paid little attention to the impact of interface design on human performance. Ecological interface design (EID) is a theoretical framework for designing computer interfaces for complex human‐machine systems that addresses this issue. This article provides an overview of a research program on EID conducted in the author's laboratory. A detailed example showing how the principles of EID can be applied to design an interface for a simplified but representative thermal‐hydraulic process‐control simulation is presented. Also, the results from laboratory research, lessons learned from an industrial prototype, and the details of technology transfer to industry are reviewed. Collectively, the findings from this research program demonstrate that dynamic decision‐making performance in complex systems can be significantly improved through appropriate interface design. This conclusion has significant implications for system dynamics research.