ABSTRACT
Successful sciences usually spawn successful applications and application disciplines; in fact, one is suspicious of a science that can’t claim practical results. The na ve view is that results from the science are “applied” to problems, as in an “applied cognitive psychology,” for example. The truth is more complex in general and it is particularly more complex for cognitive science. New advances in technology are amplifying still further the human role of informavore and the need for cognitive engineering and invention of cognitive products and government activities. The ability to meet these is a test of a cognitive engineering discipline and of the supporting sciences themselves. I am going to suggest some principles for organizing both cognitive science and the practical innovation around it by reflecting on what we have learned about using cognitive psychology in human-computer interaction. I will use this analysis to suggest a set of initiatives now within reach of the cognitive science community.
