title: A conceptual framework for designing micro-worlds for complex work domains: a case study of the Cabin Air Management System.
abstract: A conceptual framework for the design of micro-worlds is presented in this paper. This is illustrated by a micro-world, called Cabin Air Management System (CAMS), that has been used in a research program to investigate human behavior during work with complex systems. Although CAMS is based on the operational context of spaceflight, its underlying principles correspond to a process control task. The authors propose a theoretical framework for micro-world design, which was used to guide the development of the CAMS micro-world. This may provide a helpful guideline for researchers wishing to develop a micro-world by using a more structured approach. A detailed technical description of CAMS is given to demonstrate the kind of real-world scenarios that may be simulated with this task environment. Finally, general aspects of the utility of micro-world research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany. sauerj@hrzl.hrz.tu-darmstadt.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Wastell
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Hockey
mesh_terms: D000389:Air Conditioning; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003658:Decision Making, Computer-Assisted; D006804:Ergonomics; D008021:Life Support Systems; D013026:Space Flight; D018561:Space Simulation; D018531:Spacecraft; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014893:Weightlessness