From Cognitive Theory to Operational Transition: One Program’s Path Across the Valley of Death

Cognitive engineering and decision support are applied fields that build on cognitive theory and empirical data but ultimately seek to design and build interactive artifacts that improve human decision-making, performance, and use-experiences. However, the path from theory to operational transition has often been very difficult, often ending in failure in a “valley of death” between successful research and successful practical application. This panel presents different perspectives on the trek through this valley – researcher, end-user/operator, program manager, and what-can-we-learn-from-past-failures– set in the issues of current research program making that trip.