Task Analysis

Fields/areas of application

"Each domain modifies the basic workings of a TA for its own purpose - each with a different emphasis and desired result."

Particularly used in design and evaluation fields

HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION (HCI)

PROCESS CONTROL

ENGINEERING PSYCHOLOGY/Cognitive engieering

HUMAN FACTORS/ERGONOMICS

See study by Lippa on everyday self-managment expertise

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Cite Smith and Ragan TA and IPA

History

-Gilbert-1911 - Motiion and time studies. Behavioral Task analysis-Industrial Engineering- Basis Applied Behavior Analysis

F. Gilbreth, Motion Study, New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, 1911

Increased popularity in the human factors community

Annett and Duncan proposed a more general form of TA called Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) -1960's

original TA was used mostly for evaluating human activity and motion.

Other names

Definitions

"belong to a collection of evaluation techniques designed to help uncover details about the human part of a systems equation."

also concerned with what information is necessary for each part to complete its job, as well as the process or method of completion.

how a task is accomplished, including a detailed description of both manual and mental activities, task and element durations, ..read more

ask frequency, task allocation, task complexity, environmental conditions, necessary clothing and equipment, and any other unique factors involved in or required for one or more people to perform a given task.

Popular TA approches

Task descomposision and secuencing

Hierarchical task analysis (HTA):

Knowledge-based techniques

"look at what users need to know about the objects and actions involved in a task, and how that knowledge is organized."

Task Analysis for Knowledge Description-TAKD, sometimes referred to as Cognitive Task Analysis

SSADM - Structured System's Analysis and Design Methodology

Environmental techniques

TAEMS (Task Analysis for Environmental Modeling and Simulation)

Entity-relations task analysis

ATOM - Analysis for Task Object Modeling

Blended techniques

Marti's Task Centered Design

Behavioral Task Analysis - Traditional approach

Relantionship to expertise study

Process and sources of data

primarily a data gathering and classifying exercise

Obsevations

Interviews

Existing documentation

Views of tasks

Recording of actions by an experienced user

Goals to be achieved for succesful task completion

Interaction of system components

Significance/usefulness

Design of man-machine interfaces

Determine personnel selection criteria

Development of instructional curriculum

Newer focus: Team analysis - create new teams with fewer members

Underlying components

1-Task taxonomy

2-Task descomposition

3-Task allocation

4- Task description

5-Task analysis