JOURNAL OF MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS, VOL 5,

75

(1996)

Book Review

The world of Design processes and guidance (Chap. 7 )

is initiated with the classical spiral model from Hubka
and is then oriented towards the mapping of the design
territory. For example, we find there A map of the
Cognitive systems engineering (CSE) offers a new knowledge representation to consider f o r information
multidisciplinary framework for assessing needs and system design (p. 183) followed (in Chap. 8) by the
designing usable, efficient systems (italics denote excerpts evaluation of design concepts and products, where the
from the text). The dominant context is human- envelopes of constraints mentioned above are used as
computer interaction and task performance in organiza- cognitive maps.
The set is completed with the design of a librarian
tions, while the disciplines providing the modelling
concepts are engineering, psychology, cognitive science system and some references to health care institutions.
Finally, the last part is devoted to the various visual
and computer science.
In CSE the main avenue to analyse the behaviour of displays and their contributions to cognitive systems
systems is by abstraction to a functional level, which is design.
As a whole, the 350 pages of the book make heavy,
contrasted with structural decomposition where inputoutput models and causeeffect chains are often difficult reading. The book obviously offers new
avenues of thinking and is definitely oriented towards
considered in isolation.
This leads, among other concepts, to a set of designs models, and, say, inquiring systems (a Churman
defining behaviour shaping constraints at progressively expression) and not towards naive recipes or tools.
However, almost all topics we can associate with any
narrow envelopes.
For the individual actor, for example, we find: Actual human activity system (in Checklands terminology)
are coped with-metaphors, risk, propagation of conwork environment>Work domain analysis>Activity
analysis> -in work domain terms> -in decision-mak- straints in an experimental design and a hundred
ing terms1 -in terms of mental strategies that can be others-and although all of them are written under
used>Cognitive resources analysis (actors competency, clever thinking (see the relevant Chapter 6 on human
error), globally the mental burden is a problem for the
criteria, values).
For the activity analysis of an organization, such reader.
Everyone reckons that human-machine interaction is
embedding envelopes are (Chap. 3): Goals and constraints3Priority measures>Flows of values and mate- of very large scope and should, like the authors do,
integrate many aspects, but not many people are
rials>General
functions and activities>Physical
activities in work, vertically connected by the why, ready to swallow so many paradigms in such a dense
flow.
what, how questions.
Thus a positive contribution is to open the mind to
In decision-making terms, we find e.g. a decision
ladder consisting of a sequence of basic information other mental designs than the common stuff so many
processes in a decision task where the arrangement times reprinted, but the excess of scope and the difficulty
implies: activation-observation--identification-options- of finding and following the authors path calls for a
cerebrally muscled reader.
goals-evaluation-prediction-choice of task-planningexecution.
Control is presented (in Chap. 4) as a set of
CHR.DE BRWN
interactions between the levels of cognitive control
Universitk de LiPge
modes (i.e. knowledge-based, rule-based, skill-based)
LiPge, Belgium
and associated mental functions.
COGNITIVE
SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING,
Rasmussen, J., Pejtersen, A. M. and Goodstein., L. P.,
New York: Wiley, 1994.

0 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd