Strategic Issues in Knowledge Engineering

Abstract

Expert systems should find widespread application in human factors, provided the problem of building expert systems (knowledge engineering) is dealt with satisfactorily. The task of knowledge engineering is outlined and five key strategic issues are identified. These strategic issues are discussed from a human factors perspective, and it is shown how current knowledge engineering methods can be extended to include the concerns of human factors. The potential contribution of human factors to knowledge engineering methodology is illustrated with two examples. The first shows how ranking techniques can be adapted to meet the requirements of knowledge elicitation; the second shows how protocol analysis can be used to validate expertise.

Human Strategies for Multitasking, Search, and Control Improved via Real-Time Memory Aid for Gaze Location

“…For more abstract or complex tasks, proceduralization is a term used to define systematic externalized systems for improving decision making (Bazerman, 1998), often with computer assistance (Dawes et al, 1989), which our system does. Computerized displays to assist users in decision making are often domainspecific expert systems (Shortliffe, 1983;Chignell and Peterson, 1988;Schkade and Kleinmuntz, 1994;Stone et al, 1997), whereas our system is domain-general. Automation assistance has been developed to assist human users in managing automation when the tasks are complex and dynamic (Endsley, 1999;Inagaki, 2003;Kaber and Endsley, 2004), which our algorithm would assist with as well.…”

Human Factors Contributions to Knowledge Elicitation

“…Van Cott pointed to what he saw as the outstanding need: "new methods for the description and analysis of cognitive tasks" (p. 122). Chignell and Peterson (1988) picked up that gauntlet. They pointed out that human factors methods of task analysis could determine which domain tasks might be amenable to representation in the form of procedural rules.…”

Using human factor guidelines for developing expert systems

“…Indeed, these problems and others can be addressed by engineers through various established approaches to human factor research, using conceptual frameworks and methodologies that organise and explain the vast and diverse body of data with which they must deal. For this reason, there are several areas in which human factor research can make a contribution to building expert systems (Chignell & Peterson 1988;Gordon 1988):…”