Unifying Human Centered Design

and Systems Engineering

for Human Systems Integration
Guy Boy
1,2
& Jennifer Nakevicius
3

1
Human-Centered Design Institute, Florida Institute of Technology
2
NASA Kennedy Space Center
3
Jenius LLC


Systems Engineering
an interdisciplinary approach and means to
enable the realization of successful systems
INCOSE
life cycle of a product:
design, manufacturing, operations, training and
support, disposal and costs (Haskins, 2011)
Holistic approach to peoples needs?
Why SE fails?
Inadequate requirements
Technology focused
Poorly specified
Unmeasurable
Unachievable
Lack of flexibility
Technology-centered engineering rigid processes
Uncertainty and rapid changes in our world
Solution: Human-Centered Design (HCD)
Human-Centered Design
Various disciplines
Human-computer interaction & Artificial intelligence
Modeling and Simulation
Human-machine systems
Social and cognitive sciences
Same objective as SE (i.e., holistic)
Technology
People
Organizations
The 21
st
century shift
From mechanical engineering
to electrical engineering
to software engineering!

From integration of local reductionist systems
to holistic coordination of autonomous agents
Highly interconnected interactive world
Systems vs. Agents
System
integrated set of
elements that accomplish
a defined objective
(Haskins, 2011)
Systems of systems
Structures and functions
Agent
entity able to act,
produce something and
be representative of an
agency (Minsky, 1985)
Society of agents
Cognitive functions
Human-Systems Integration (HSI)
From Army to Orchestra
Soldiers
executants, rigid
automated
Linear chain of command
Generals, officers
hierarchy
Musicians
creative, flexible, experts
autonomous
Complex coordination
composers, scores
conductors
Prescriptive and effective coordination
Task-level

Activity-level

VFR
Cognitive function
Role
Context
Resources
Task Activity
System cognitive function
Human cognitive function
Machine cognitive function
Human cognitive function
Modeling and Simulation
Technology-Centered
Engineering
Human-Centered
Design
from Technology-Centered Engineering
to Human-Centered Design
positivism
objectivity
linear systems
context-free
control
phenomenology
subjectivity
non-linear systems
context-dependent
management
reductionism complexity science
Human-Centered
Design
Technology-Centered
Engineering
Human-Centered
Design
Technology-Centered
Engineering
Human-Systems Integration
Automation vs. Autonomy
Procedures Automation
Automation
of
People
Automation
of
Machines
Automation
of
Human
Functions
Automation
of
Systems
Functions
Problem-Solving
Autonomy
of Agents
(mostly people)
Coordination
of Autonomous
Agents
Functions
Allocation
of Human & Systems
Functions
Planning vs. Flexibility
Complexity and Emergence
Standardization vs. Creativity
1596 1650
XX
th
Century XXI
st
Century
Ren Descartes by Franz Hals
1452 1519
Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci Autoportrait