Human-centred knowledge based systems design

Abstract

It is held that the quality of the working environment afforded to an individual critically affects the health and well-being of that individual. This has consequences for both the quality of work which that individual can actually perform, and for the quality of the society in which that individual has a place. Conceptions of a fit working environment have led to the idea of a human-centred system, and this idea is applicable to the area of knowledge-based systems (KBS). A system structure is discussed, which permits a human-centred approach to be adopted towards KBS design. It is held that the performance of such a system will generally exceed that of unaided KBS operation.