Design of operator interfaces for ''bumpless'' transfers between operator behaviors

Advances in the science and art of man-machine interface design have taken major strides forward for interface design practitioners with the advent of the computer. one concern still extant, however, is the need for design of interfaces that minimize confusion when an operator is required to shift from the different levels of cognitive control of skill, rule, and knowledge-based behaviors, (e.g., if an operator is following a set of procedures and a procedural error is noted by the operator, the behavior may, of necessity, shift from rule-based to a knowledge-based behavior). Shifting of the cognitive control levels requires that the information to be displayed to the operator should be designed so that a ''bumpless'' transfer can be made between the behavioral modes, thus reducing the possibility of error. This paper introduces a way to design human interfaces so that skill, rule, and knowledge-based behaviors are supported and provides for the necessary interchanges between behavioral types