Cognitive work analysis and the analysis, design, and evaluation of human-computer interactive systems

This paper provides a short conceptual and visual introduction to some of the basic principles of cognitive work analysis (CWA). CWA is an approach to the analysis, design, and evaluation of human-computer interactive systems-particularly of complex, high-technology sociotechnical systems. The paper also introduces the following five symposium papers, which provide detailed examples of CWA being used in research at the Swinburne Computer-Human Interaction Laboratory (SCHIL) at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and at Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO AMRL).