ABSTRACT
Function allocation is a system design process in which functions are assigned to either a machine or human operator. Traditional approaches to function allocation were static in nature. Lists of human and machine capabilities were compiled and decisions regarding the assignment of functions were based on the superiority of the human over the machine, or the machine over the human (Fitts 1951). This process led to extensive MABA-MABA (Men Are Better At-Machines Are Better At) lists (Price 1985). However, this approach quickly fell out of favor because more complex systems required a more comprehensive approach to the nature of work, human information processing capabilities, and teams of system users with different needs. Modern approaches to function allocation are addressed in system analysis and design methodologies, through ergonomic analyses, cost/benefit and risk analyses, or not at all. Excellent reviews of this process and the challenges of function allocation can be found in Hancock and Scallen (1998) and Sharit (1997).
