Aiming at Moving Targets : Applying Cognitive Work Analysis to Work Domains in Transition

The design of IT systems for complex work environments is essential for workers to be able to operate more effectively and efficiently. To design a system that supports the workers' specific tasks we need to understand the work demands and the context in which the system operates. However, this is a difficult task because of the dynamic nature of complex systems. The thesis investigates how the cognitive work analysis (CWA) framework (Vicente, 1999) can be applied to understand a domain under transformation by (1) developing methods to manage challenges associated with applying CWA to real-world complex systems and (2) investigating how models from the CWA framework can be used to contend with the moving target for development. The studies are carried out within two quite different application domains: long-haul driving and health care. An activity prioritization method was suggested as a useful technique to focus the analyzing efforts during the analysis of tasks and strategies. However, adaption to practical constraints has to be done thoughtfully in order not to lose the value of the analysis. Moreover, workshops were proposed as a means to bridge the gap between the analysis and design by finding design metaphors and possible future work strategies from the domain knowledge of the drivers. Third, a study was done using the abstraction hierarchy (AH) to learn about digitization in health care, which is an example of ongoing change in a work domain. The AH was also adapted to model health IT systems as a means to provide an overview and consistent vision of strategic decisions. Using the AH as an overview of sub-systems that were developed by different organizations or organizational units would make it possible to identify collaboration needs or a lack of connectivity and integration between systems. The AH can therefore be applied to support the development of an IT system that is to be part of a transforming work domain