Flexible Task Analysis Framework: Feedforward and Feedback

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners have different emphases and goals when conducting task or system analyses. This paper proposes a task analysis framework to augment other task analysis and human performance modeling approaches. The intent is not to replace but provide flexibility to use. The proposed framework includes critical processes (i.e., modules) that must be considered based on psychological theories, methodologies, and findings. It integrates the feedforward mechanism in motor and cognitive tasks in order to explain how users achieve multiple goals via a single task and prevent or mitigate undesired conflicts. It also includes a General Purposes module that combines some perspectives of user needs in user experience and functional purposes in work domain analysis to accommodate different domains’ characteristics. Ultimately, a task analysis pertaining to the work carried out by an electric grid transmission operator was conducted as an example of how this framework can be implemented.