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The human-computer interface is the decision maker's window into their
world. ARA believes that interface design should combine
human factors analysis with a good understanding of the user's
decision making environment. The design of the interface is a key
component in providing the user with the understanding and situation
assessment required to make good decisions. ARA provides
expertise in basic usability principles, basic human factors and
cognitive ergonomics requirements, and advanced understanding of
the decision making tasks that the interface must support. Our
approach is to structure interface design around supporting the key
cognitive demands and information requirements of the task, and to
present a meaningful representation of the task to the user: a
representation that serves as a springboard to action.
The ultimate goal of any design effort is to develop an application to
support the decisions of a specific operator and/or the functions of a
specific task. Oftentimes, however, design applications are not
decision-centered. As a result, the application fails to provide the
necessary information, fails to provide it in a useful form, or, as is
often the case, makes it more difficult to access essential
information. ARA has pioneered the Decision-Centered
Design (DCD) approach to supporting performance through design.
Our DCD approach to designing decision support systems and interface
designs, in aiding product design and in analyzing web usability,
targets the support of real time decision making; a focus that is
essential for effective human-technology interaction
Our approach to decision support and decision aiding is to leverage
the expertise of experienced decision makers. We begin by analyzing
the decision maker's tasks and understanding how they make the
decisions within the current job. We uncover the strategies they use,
the information they use and need, the way that this information
combines to form meaningful patterns and trends, and the barriers,
challenges and errors that they currently face. We use this
information to identify information architectures, functionality, and
interface requirements to improve the decision maker's understanding
of the situation and therefore allow them to leverage that
understanding to make better decisions.
For further information about our work that interfaces technology with
decision making, or to inquire about our work in designing Decision
Support Systems, Human-Computer Interfaces, product design support, or
web usability, contact
Dr. Tom Miller of Klein Associates a Division of Applied Research
Associates at 937-873-8166. |
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For
chronicles of our work, see
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