Introduction to Automation and to Its Potential for Interactive Systems Design

Abstract

Automation is pervasive and polymorph but still usually not considered as a design option per se when designing interactive systems. This course takes a practical approach to introduce automation, its principles and how this can be used for the design of interactive systems. This one unit course introduces the automation from a Human Factors perspective (such as Levels of Automation) to highlight its foundations, its limitations and how recent research contributions demonstrate the high potential of automation as a design option for interaction and interactive systems designers. The course highlights success stories from various domains such as aviation, power plants and air traffic management. Beyond, it highlights limitations and failures from automotive, aviation (MCAS) and everyday life products (e.g. public spaces appliances). Course attendees will learn what is automation and how this high-level concept can be decomposed into practical elements that can be fruitfully used in interactive systems designs.