ABSTRACT
Complexity has become a ubiquitous part of modern life. Complexity is at the heart of many systems, from those that send astronauts into space to of”ce desktop computers. The technologies that surround us embody complexity in both their form and their function. While, to a certain degree, this complexity cannot be avoided, it can be better managed, and must be if we are to develop systems that will allow users to have high levels of situation awareness (SA) when working with these systems. Left unchecked, complexity directly works against SA. It reduces people’s ability to perceive needed information among the plethora of that available. It can also signi”- cantly affect the ability of users to understand and predict what will happen when working with a system (Levels 2 and 3 SA) because complexity makes it much more dif”cult to form a good mental model of the system or task domain (Figure 8.1).
