ABSTRACT
There are two complementary approaches to performing a CTA. One approach relies on an analysis of the application domain to uncover the demands inherent in domain tasks. These are usually based on some form of goal-means decomposition. That is, the domain application is analyzed in terms of the goals or functions that need to be achieved for success and the means that are available to achieve those goals (cf. Woods and Hollnagel, 1987; Rasmussen et al., 1994; Vicente, 1999). From this analysis, one can derive an assessment of the range and complexity of tasks facing the user. This provides the basis for specification of the content and format of displays and controls. A second 0-415-28700-6/05/$0.00+$1.50 © 2005 by CRC Press LLC
complementary approach employs interview and observation techniques to analyze how people actually go about performing the task (either in the actual task environment or in a simulated task environment). This approach enables discovery of the knowledge and strategies that domain practitioners utilize to cope with domain demands (Hoffman et al, 1998; Militello and Hutton, 1998; Potter et al., 2000). In practice, a CTA involves a combination of both approaches and relies on interviews and observations of domain experts to elicit the core knowledge that forms the basis of the CTA.
