Psychology as a mother of invention

Abstract

Important progress has been made in the methodology for making computer systems easier to use. Highlights are the "Wizard-of-Oz" technique and rapid iterative developmental testing. It is argued that more fundamental advances, inventions of truly new and useful computer-based cognitive tools, will result from deeper behavioral analysis of the capabilities and limitations of human performance. Three such analysis methods are described; failure analysis, individual difference analysis, and time profile analysis. A few dramatic success stories are recounted. Promising targets for "synthesis by analysis" are proposed.