ABSTRACT

Task knowledge structures (TKSs) are developed in order to identify and describe what people do in their work within a given domain (Johnson, Johnson, & Wilson, 1995), so it is included in the activity methods section of this book. Each of the methods in this part of the book assumes that it is important for task analysis to describe not only the activities people carry out, but also the contexts in which they perform those activities, the ways that they perform those activities, and the tools and methods that performers use. The original purpose of TKS was a method for analyzing task structures for the design of human computer interactions. The primary purpose of TKSs is to elicit the knowledge structures that skilled performers construct while they perform tasks. These knowledge structures can then be used to design interfaces or rapid-prototype instructional materials.