Design Of Complex Socio-technical Systems Research Articles

Robust design of complex socio-technical systems against seasonal effects: a network motif-based approach

AbstractSeasonal effects can significantly impact the robustness of socio-technical systems (STS) to demand fluctuations. There is an increasing need to develop novel design approaches that can support capacity planning decisions for enhancing the robustness of STS against seasonal effects. This paper proposes a new network motif-based approach to supporting capacity planning in STS for an improved seasonal robustness. Network motifs are underlying nonrandom subgraphs within a complex network. In this approach, we introduce three motif-based metrics for system performance evaluation and capacity planning decision-making. The first one is the imbalance score of a motif (e.g., a local service network), the second one is the measurement of a motif’s seasonal robustness, and the third one is a capacity planning decision criterion. Based on these three metrics, we validate that the sensitivity of STS performance against seasonal effects is highly correlated with the imbalanced capacity between service nodes in an STS. Correspondingly, we formulate a design optimisation problem to improve the robustness of STS by rebalancing the resources at critical service nodes. To demonstrate the utility of the approach, a case study on Divvy bike-sharing system in Chicago is conducted. With a focus on the size-3 motifs (a subgraph consisting three docked stations), we find that there is a significant correlation between the difference of the number of docks among the stations in a motif and the return/rental performance of such a motif against seasonal changes. Guided by this finding, our design approach can successfully balance out the number of docks between those stations that have caused the most severe seasonal perturbations. The results also imply that the network motifs can be an effective local structural representation in support of STS robust design. Our approach can be generally applied in other STS where the system performances are significantly impacted by seasonal changes, for example, supply chain networks, transportation systems and power grids.

Deriving Design Knowledge Graph for Complex Sociotechnical Systems Using the AIA Design Thinking

The AIA design thinking has been validated in complex design tasks, which includes three overlapping design thinking fields and uses the knowledge field theory as a theoretical mechanism of knowledge flow among design thinking fields. Meanwhile, the design of complex sociotechnical systems highly relies on multidisciplinary knowledge and design methods. Despite the emergence of knowledge management techniques (ontology, expert system, text mining, etc.), designers continue to store knowledge in unstructured ways. To facilitate the integration of knowledge graph and design thinking, we introduce an integrated approach to structure design knowledge graph with the AIA design thinking, which organizes existing design knowledge through Agent (concept)-Interaction (relation)-Adaptation (concept) framework. The approach uses an optimized convolutional neural network to accomplish two tasks: building concept graph from text and stimulating design thinking information processing for complex sociotechnical system tasks. Based on our knowledge graph, the validation experiment demonstrates the advantages of promoting the designer’s extension of idea space and idea quality.

Ethics and System Design in a New Era of Human-Computer Interaction [Guest Editorial

The articles in this special section examines ethical issues and system design considerations with new and evolving human-computer interaction (HCI). Contemporary and emerging digital technologies are leading us to question the ways in which humans interact with machines and with complex socio-technical systems. The new dynamics of technology and human interaction will inevitably exert pressure on existing ethical frameworks and regulatory bodies. This will require the development of innovative approaches to HCI, and methods to support the design of complex socio-technical systems. HCI is an interdisciplinary field of study based on a user-centered approach to the design of contemporary and complex computer systems

Sociotechnical attributes of safe and unsafe work systems

Theoretical and practical approaches to safety based on sociotechnical systems principles place heavy emphasis on the intersections between social–organisational and technical–work process factors. Within this perspective, work system design emphasises factors such as the joint optimisation of social and technical processes, a focus on reliable human–system performance and safety metrics as design and analysis criteria, the maintenance of a realistic and consistent set of safety objectives and policies, and regular access to the expertise and input of workers. We discuss three current approaches to the analysis and design of complex sociotechnical systems: human–systems integration, macroergonomics and safety climate. Each approach emphasises key sociotechnical systems themes, and each prescribes a more holistic perspective on work systems than do traditional theories and methods. We contrast these perspectives with historical precedents such as system safety and traditional human factors and ergonomics, and describe potential future directions for their application in research and practice.Practitioner Summary: The identification of factors that can reliably distinguish between safe and unsafe work systems is an important concern for ergonomists and other safety professionals. This paper presents a variety of sociotechnical systems perspectives on intersections between social–organisational and technology–work process factors as they impact work system analysis, design and operation.

Comparing methods for workplace studies: a theoretical and empirical analysis

A comparative theoretical and empirical analysis of three methods for workplace studies is being conducted in this article. The aim of the study was to explore what level of theoretical depth and methodological structure is appropriate when conducting methods for workplace studies to inform design of complex socio-technical systems. As workplace studies in human---computer interaction (HCI) are a research field that has expanded in an extensive way in the past years, currently there are a wide range of theoretical approaches and methods to select from. The variety of approaches and methods makes it problematic to do relevant methodological choices both in research and system design. While there have been several studies that assess the different approaches to workplace studies, there seem to be a lack of studies that explore the theoretical and methodological differences between more structured methods within the research field. This article serves as a starting point to explore the many methods for workplace studies in HCI and contributes to the field with increased knowledge regarding the theoretical and methodological differences in workplace studies. When using the two criteria descriptive power and application power to assess Contextual Design, Determining Information Flow Breakdown, and Capturing Semi-Automated Decision-Making, lessons are learned about in which ways the methods are acceptable and useful when the purpose is to inform system design.

Commentary on Gregory Tassey’s “Rationales and mechanisms for revitalizing US manufacturing R&D strategies”

Gregory Tassey has written a brilliant, although not flawless, analysis of the technological challenges to American manufacturing and of actions that should be taken by both business and government to ensure that American manufacturing’s future is bright. Tassey has long been an astute observer and analyst of American science, technology, and innovation policies. His paper is both a synthesis of many of his earlier contributions and a significant extension into new realms of understanding. Tassey’s fundamental thesis is that the decline in American manufacturing’s contributions to GDP and private employment, as well as its decline in shares of world trade, can be attributed in substantial measure to two factors. The first is that there is a national consensus around models of how technology is developed and used that fails to account for both vertical disintegration along supply chains and the speed of change. Second, because of American aversion to the involvement of government in the private sector, there is an overly rigid understanding of the synergistic roles of private and public investment in generating cycles of major changes in new technologies. Tassey marshals a wide array of evidence to support his thesis, and he offers recommendations for action to address the problems he has identified. He disparages observers, whom he leaves largely unnamed, who he says argue that the future of the American economy lies in a strong service sector or in the invention and design of complex sociotechnical systems that are based on integration of manufactured goods from abroad. I have considerable sympathy for Tassey’s point of view. That American manufacturing is in trouble has long been recognized and proposals for action have been widely discussed. During the 1980s, when American manufacturing was deeply challenged by Japan, astute American observers pointed out that the success of leading Japanese firms

Demonstrating CWA Strategies Analysis: A Case Study of Municipal Winter Maintenance

Widespread acceptance of Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) as a framework for design of complex sociotechnical systems is dependent on how well the theoretical foundations can be applied to real-world systems. Although literature on CWA has many application examples, the first phase, Work Domain Analysis, is over-represented. Later phases such as Strategies Analysis, the third phase of CWA, can provide comparable insight to designers. Understanding how activities can be performed can be instrumental in designing work support tools that are robust to changing priorities and conditions. In this paper, a Strategies Analysis is applied to the City of Toronto Municipal Winter Maintenance Program to illustrate how an analysis can be conducted. Both a traditional Strategies Analysis in decision-making terms and a novel Strategies Analysis in work domain terms are presented.

A rose by any other name...would probably be given an acronym [cognitive systems engineering

In this article, we concern ourselves with characterizations of approaches to design of complex sociotechnical systems, and we use a biological classification scheme to organize discussion. Until fairly recently, design of complex sociotechnical systems was primarily known as engineering or systems engineering (CSE), a term introduced to denote an emerging branch of applied cognitive psychology. A number of new terms have since emerged, all of which might be considered members of genus human-centered computing (HCC). A number of have entered fray, resulting in an acronym soup of terms that have been offered to designate the new approach to cognitive engineering. Using rose metaphor, and taking some liberties with Latin, this article is organized around a set of genuses into which individual varieties seem to fall.

Social–physiological compliance as a determinant of team performance

A cybernetic model of behavior predicts that team performance may depend on physiological compliance among participants. This laboratory study tested if compliance in electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate or breathing in two-person teams ( N=16) was predictive of team performance or coordination in a continuous tracking task simulating teleoperation. Visual contact among participants was manipulated. Physiological compliance was scored with weighted coherence and cross correlation. Separate multiple regression analyses revealed that the task completion time was predicted by coherence measures for EDA and heart, but only at a trend level for breathing. Task completion time was also predicted by heart cross correlation. Team tracking error was predicted by coherence measures for EDA, heart and breathing, and also heart cross correlation. While social–visual contact did not have an impact, physiological compliance was predictive of improved performance, with coherence robust over all three physiological measures. Heart cross correlation showed the strongest predictive relationships. These results provide evidence that physiological compliance among team members may benefit team performance. While further study is needed, physiological compliance may someday provide a needed tool for the study of team work, and an objective means to guide the ergonomic design of complex sociotechnical systems requiring a high degree of team proficiency.

Use of Cognitive Work Analysis Across the System Life Cycle: From Requirements to Decommissioning

Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is a systems-based approach to the analysis, modelling, and design of complex sociotechnical systems that is particularly useful when working with real-time work domains in which operator adaptation and flexibility may be needed (Rasmussen, Pejtersen, & Goodstein, 1994; Vicente, 1999). In this paper we argue that CWA can be used not only for design, with which it is most commonly associated, but also throughout the system life cycle. We present a table that shows the five phases of CWA crossed with different steps and activities in the system life cycle, and in the cells of the table we indicate how a particular phase of CWA informs the system life cycle activity in question. We illustrate this discussion with material from our own work using CWA in air defence environments, such as the use of work domain analysis in the tender evaluation for Australia's AEW&C system. CWA not only leverages and coordinates some previous human engineering techniques, but it also adds important analytic products that have been absent from previous techniques.