From Cognitive to Social Ergonomics and Beyond

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Abstract
Informational systems pose interesting new challenges to the traditional design goals, validation strategies and research methodologies of the industrial design and human factors communities. The purpose of the first section of this chapter is to consider the nature of these challenges and to explore some of the factors involved in meeting them. I suggest a new goal for interface design, namely to focus our efforts on developing not idiot-proof systems, but rather systems that facilitate the management of trouble by the casual user. I argue that in order to achieve major improvements in the human-computer interface, we must consider issues that typically arise not only in cognitive, but also in social, ergonomics—that is, how the overall social environment in which systems are embedded can serve as a powerful resource for helping users master their systems.

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