Work-Centered Interface Technology

In complex sociotechnical systems such as military command and control, multiple individuals must work with complex and dynamic information from many diverse sources. Methods are needed to increase worker productivity in such systems by reducing thecognitive complexity of the multi-system interface. We propose a revolutionary approach to interface design for such systems, drawing on the techniques of Cognitive Work Analysis to design a Virtual Information-Action Workspace tailored for a workdomain. The workspace will be structured using an abstration hierarchy that captures the terms and relationships natural to workers in the domain. Intelligent agents will support the information location, retrieval, and fusion capabilities needed by theWorkspace. Agents will be designed to make the Workspace adaptive, so that users can create the agent capabilities they need to deal with unanticipated situations and new work demands. Intelligent agents will be the means by which workers can