Cognitive Systems Engineering

Overview

Cognitive systems engineering (CSE) focuses on the human-centered design of complex systems, marrying the cognitive sciences with a broader systems perspective. This work brings together UI, psychology, social sciences, and systems engineering to build technology that aids decision making.

With so many of us spending our working hours sitting behind computers, it’s no surprise there are videos, blogs, and books focused on how to optimize a physical desk setup for comfort, functionality, and productivity. Maybe that new office chair or standing desk will make me more productive during the workday and help me feel better afterwards.

But software engineering is cognitively demanding work. CSEs first conduct knowledge elicitations and observations to model the often hidden cognitive demands in a role. Then, using these insights design cognitive aids and decision-support tools to reduce overhead, lower the cognitive costs of coordination, and improve speed and accuracy under conditions of uncertainty, time pressure, and stress.

We draw from a range of disciplines to create a holistic view of individual and team performance.

Adapted from Woods & Roth (1988)

CSE is an interdisciplinary approach aiming to improve the interaction between people, technology, and the work they need to accomplish. CSE focuses on all aspects of cognitive work, often broken down into six types (Patterson et al., 2010):

Detecting
Sensemaking
Planning
Deciding
Executing
Coordinating

Cognitive Systems Engineers design solutions to support performance across these and other core functions. Solutions often include:

Software interaction design
Software interface design
Data relationship mapping & visual analytics
Coordination design such as human-machine & human-human teaming, cross-boundary coordination (internally within different parts of the business or externally with vendors or third party contractors, partner organizations, regulatory agencies).
Training and competency mapping
Exercise development to challenge adaptive thinking and response
Testing and evaluation
Assessments