A rose by any other name...would probably be given an acronym [cognitive systems engineering]

In this article, we concern ourselves with characterizations of the "new" approaches to the design of complex sociotechnical systems, and we use a biological classification scheme to organize the discussion. Until fairly recently, the design of complex sociotechnical systems was primarily known as "cognitive engineering" or "cognitive systems engineering" (CSE), a term introduced to denote an emerging branch of applied cognitive psychology. A number of new terms have since emerged, all of which might be considered members of the genus "human-centered computing" (HCC). A number of varieties have entered the fray, resulting in an "acronym soup" of terms that have been offered to designate "the" new approach to cognitive engineering. Using the rose metaphor, and taking some liberties with Latin, this article is organized around a set of "genuses" into which the individual "varieties" seem to fall.