Cognitive ergonomics is the fit between human cognitive abilities and the limits of the machine, task, environment, etc. In essence, we are structuring the computers to meet the human being in the state that he or she is in, rather than changing the human's frame of mind to match the computers'. - Haughton, 2016
The above quote is a very powerful thought. There is more happening in this world than we could even dream or think! Take a look at the YouTube video below.
There, technologist Jeremy Lewis tells us what happens when we teach a computer how to learn? Jeremy shares some surprising new developments in the fast-moving field of deep learning, a technique that can give computers the ability to learn Chinese, or to recognize objects in photos, or to help think through a medical diagnosis. (One deep learning tool, after watching hours of YouTube, taught itself the concept of “cats.”) Get caught up on a field that will change the way the computers around you behave … sooner than you probably think.
Method 1: User Interfacing
According to Vogel (2007) , cognitive ergonomics is all about understanding human factors. How can we deliver technology that is most suited to our frame of mind as humans? One way is through better User Interface Design: Here is an experiment to clarify this:
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Method 2: User Efficiency
Even when the user interface is the very best, user efficiency may not be at peak. Our attention span may be suffering. A good cognitive ergonomics design knows how to go around this:
Case Study:
Leading technologists have suggested the following hacks to increase your productivity:
-SOCIAL MEDIA: If possible do not have social media apps on your work devices. This is distracting and the temptation decreases your attentions span.
-MULTIPLE SCREENS: For years, one of the main reasons that we have used paper is the ability to move from one task to another physically and mentally. With technology this is not possible. Instead of switching from one paper to another, we switch from one screen to another. This makes it harder to compartmentalise thoughts in one's brain.
One of the leading technologists at Mozilla Firefox suggested that as the price of various mobile gadgets falls it may be possible to have multiple screens, where we can switch from one tablet to another, in a similar fashion to papers. This will increase our efficiency in completing our tasks in a timely manner. (Thompson 2014 from wired.com)
Even when the user interface is the very best, user efficiency may not be at peak. Our attention span may be suffering. A good cognitive ergonomics design knows how to go around this:
Case Study:
Leading technologists have suggested the following hacks to increase your productivity:
-SOCIAL MEDIA: If possible do not have social media apps on your work devices. This is distracting and the temptation decreases your attentions span.
-MULTIPLE SCREENS: For years, one of the main reasons that we have used paper is the ability to move from one task to another physically and mentally. With technology this is not possible. Instead of switching from one paper to another, we switch from one screen to another. This makes it harder to compartmentalise thoughts in one's brain.
One of the leading technologists at Mozilla Firefox suggested that as the price of various mobile gadgets falls it may be possible to have multiple screens, where we can switch from one tablet to another, in a similar fashion to papers. This will increase our efficiency in completing our tasks in a timely manner. (Thompson 2014 from wired.com)
Additional Reading:
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