Stories of Modern Technology Failures and Cognitive Engineering Successes

A woman is operated on while she's awake...

A plane runs out of gas while circling an airport for 30 minutes...

A passenger liner is mistaken for an enemy fighter and shot down...

A company invests in a new system that will cost them money...

What do these failure have in common? How can we prevent them from happening again?

Offering a critical perspective on problems with human-technical systems, Stories of Modern Technology Failures and Cognitive Engineering Successes explores the significant efforts of those who have made a positive difference. The book analyzes a variety of cognitive engineering applications, including training, design, military, transportation, communications, medicine, and emergency response in the nuclear industry.

Real world examples include―

Designing a military training program that improved the detection rates of land mines

Redesigning a monitor to help anesthesiologists predict dosages more effectively

Implementing new protocols to improve the workflow and safety of a nuclear power plant

The book’s focus on cognitive engineering solutions emphasizes methodology such as knowledge elicitation, laboratory studies, naturalistic observation, usability, and modeling. It addresses highly complex systems as well as traditional human-machine interfaces.

This book demonstrates how cognitive engineers―

Identify and address cognitive problems

Develop, test, and implement solutions

Consider social, cultural, political, and economic factors

Develop criteria to measure the success of a solution

Nancy J. Cooke, Frank Durso