Bridging the Gap Between Cognitive Work Analysis and Ecological Interface Design

The Cognitive Work Analysis and Ecological Interface Design frameworks have garnered a great deal of attention in recent years. The former is used to analyze a complex work domain to identify the behavior-shaping constraints imposed by the work domain, control tasks, strategies, operator competencies, and socio-organizational factors. The latter informs the design of operator interfaces for complex systems. Although the two frameworks overlap, a gap remains between the analysis and design stages. This article shows one path across that gap. Aspects of both frameworks were applied to the design of an ecological interface for a petrochemical process. We discuss how the project was completed under realistic time and budget constraints, review several unanticipated obstacles that we encountered, and relate design examples to help overcome the gap between analysis and design.